


Son of Mandalore

by classic_cut_kyber



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-07-26 00:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 30,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20035150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/classic_cut_kyber/pseuds/classic_cut_kyber
Summary: The infamous Mandalorian bounty hunter, Boba Fett has been given an assignment. He is to help an imperial detective track down the crew responsible for the murder of an imperial senator. Something is amiss though. The senator is one of Jabba the Hutt's highest paid politicians. Fett is ambushed and attacked. The murder weapon can't be correctly identified. As more clues become uncovered, it becomes apparent that this is more than a simple assassination. Luckily, Jabba the Hutt's top bounty hunter is on it. If anyone can get to the bottom of it, it's Boba Fett.Co-Authored by Percival_Bates(PS, this Boba Fett is supposed to be Daniel Logan)





	1. Prologue

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

\---

Hmm… the man thought, staring down at the table his feet were propped up on. He was lounging, leaning against the chair back, twiddling a pilot’s driver between his fingers. On the table was a bluish-grey set of almost full Mandalorian armor. It would be complete if it had the helmet. Instead his own sat next to it. It was a freshly painted green and yellow helmet with the stereotypical T shaped visor the warriors of Mandalore were known for. 

He had decided. He dropped his feet down to the floor with a thud. The man grabbed the armor of the tabletop and a tool box from the floor and walked to the landing dock of his ship. It descended down to reveal a clearing in a lovely bit of forest. As he stepped onto the dry earth, the tall orange grasses brushed against his thighs. The sky was a pale purple color, as it always was on Arazadel. It was cut into by the sharp, three pronged tips of the Phesshr Trees, darkened into silhouettes by the light of the blue sun over head. 

He waded through the sea of flora over to an area behind his ship. Here the grasses were a brownish-black and were no taller than the toes of his boots. He had burned it to make room for armor stand sitting in the center of the oblong circular shaped area. The man lugged the armored suit to the middle and dressed the stand with it. He dropped the tool box on top of the charred brush, the contents making a metallic rattling as it hit the ground. He squatted down and opened the lid, revealing a few spray paint cans covered in drips of yellow, green, and red, along with a color splattered cloth. Picking up the green can with one hand and the cloth with another, he straightened up. 

The man is Boba Fett. He is known by many names, Manhunter, the Mandalorian, Ankou, among others. He is the son of the infamous bounty hunter Jango Fett. Following in his father’s footsteps, Boba has climbed to be one of the most feared men in the galaxy, his services coveted by the even the most elite of clients.

Fett held the cloth to his mouth and started to spray. The stream turned the armor a deep green, a cloud of paint droplets hanging thickly in the air around it. He swiped at it again, the paint glossy and thick. For some reason, a long buried memory bubbled to the surface. It was one of his childhood. He tried to push it back down, but it refused, playing out in his mind’s eye.

It brought him back to the planet of Kamino, where he spent half of his younger years, the happier part of his younger years. He remembered this day particularly. It was one of the best days he had as a child. He had been running through the hallways of the Cloning Foundries, dodging around clones and Kaminoans alike. 

“I’ll get you Pahna!” he hollered as he chased after his friend, Pahna Qi. She was a child Kaminoan. She was about a foot taller than him, with moon like skin and big dark eyes. She twisted her head on her long, elongated neck to get a peek at Boba. She giggled. Qi was the only other kid in the foundry his age, well except for the clone cadets, but they were too busy training to have fun. He had been, what, ten at the time? The passages were so crisp, so clean. They were a blinding white. It had taken weeks for his eyes to adjust fully when he left Kamino.

“In your dreams Boba!” Qi had yelled back, sending the crescent on her head swinging. The Kaminoan youth had on a knee length black dress with a white symbol on the back, making it easy for the young Boba to keep track of her. His friend almost collided with Halle Burtoni, who would later become the representative for Kamino in the senate. Qi managed to scoot around her just in time. Burtoni had given her such a nasty look. He remembered how miserable that old slina was. He made a right, keeping up after Qi. Why was he chasing her again? She took his Pazaak cards, that was it. Suddenly his father, Jango Fett had popped out from a doorway. He bent over and caught Boba around the midsection and flipped him upside down. 

“Ahh! Dad! Put me down! Put me down!” he had yelled, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out. Jango walked the squirming Boba into their dormitory.

“See Boba? This is why you always pay attention to your surroundings.” he had told him. To this day, Fett never forgot those words of wisdom. “Ok! I get it!” he said, giving up. Jango plopped his son on the bottom bunk of their bed, rustling the neatly made dark blue blankets. Fett remembered the excitement, how his face lit up, when Jango started heading for the cabinet against the far wall. The memory Boba shook his curls out of his eyes as he hopped off the bed and stepped next to his father. He swung open the doors. 

A white light in the ceiling illuminated the suit of armor inside, casting gleams and shadows over its steel blue surface. On the right hung a banner. On the left hung various blasters and weapons. Boba looked on, wide eyed, at the armor. He could see his reflection in the visor of the helmet as he reached out to touch the chest plate. It was cold and smooth under his finger tips. It was in pristine condition. His father took very good care of it. 

“This is the armor of our ancestors, Boba.” he explained, pride in his voice. “Mandalorian armor has been passed down from generation to generation. It unites all Mandalorians across all eras. People from all different clans have fought, lived, and died in our armor. It is our legacy. It reminds us of where we’ve been so we know where we’re going. We’re all connected. We are a people of tradition, bound by loyalty. This is who we are, Boba.” It was then the young Fett extended his hand towards the banner hanging on the right side. It had a rough, scratchy texture. It was made of light green fabric with a horned symbol printed on it in red.

“This is the Mythosaur Skull, right?” he asked, looking up at his father. He forgot how much he loved him. His jet black hair, his deeply tanned skin nicked with scars. His proud, muscular stature. He had been a very handsome man in life, one who all the ladies adored. “You remembered. Good. What is the Mythosaur?” Boba thought for a moment. “They were creatures that lived on Mandalore when the Tuangs and Mandalore the First came. They were hunted until extinction, starting the Mandalorian tradition of warriorism. It is now the Mand’alor, the symbol of Mandalore.” Jango gave his son a warm smile. “Good. I see you actually pay attention during our lessons. Honor, Boba. Honor, loyalty, tradition. That is Mandalore. Remember that, and one day, you will exceed even me, my son.” 

To his surprise, he smiled, something he hadn’t done in a long time. However, the memory caused him as much pain as it did happiness. He had been so focused on the memory, he hadn’t even realized that the armor was done. Well, almost. He took the can of red paint and aimed the spray towards the shoulder plate. He ripped off the tape he had stuck there through the mist, revealing the shape of a Mythosaur Skull, the final addition to his armor. He looked it over.

It was ready.


	2. Twin Suns

Chapter One: 

The twin suns of Tatooine hung brightly in the lightless void of space, cutting through the dark like lightning in a storm. Small dots of stars peppered the scene as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the planet of Rodia can be seen, the size of a pinprick. Suddenly, a ship came blazing out of the blinding light of the left sun. It is called Slave I and is owned by none other than Boba Fett. 

Fett maneuvered the ship past an asteroid as he aimed for Tatooinian atmosphere. He flicked a few switches as the planet got closer and closer. As he cut through the planet’s ozone layer, he sent his landing permit to the security on the ground. It blinked back as accepted. He lowered towards the ground.

Boba pulled Slave I up and over a rock cliff and flew down into a long canyon. He flipped through a narrow orange stone archway, grooved and etched from a millennia of sandstorms and winds. As he came to the end of the passage, Jabba the Hutt’s Tatooinian palace became visible over an endless sea of dunes. Built onto the face of a rock, the thick, rounded towers reached up into the pale blue sky. The exterior was quiet, not a soul in sight, but the interior was a very different story.

Boba directed his Firespray to the back tower. Below him, the roof of a small hanger slid open as he began the landing cycle. Slave I turned on its back as it slowly descended in. Fett’s cockpit stayed in the same position though. Everything adjusted so that he could still see straight ahead. 

When Fett felt the gentle bump that indicated landfall, he unhooked himself from his seat and stood up. His injured leg barked back in protest, but he ignored it. He didn’t have time to deal with it now. The bounty hunter worked his way through Slave I’s interior to the docking bay.

“Master Fett, sir!” Came a voice from the med bay. His medical droid came waddling out. He was a silver, LJ-17 unit. He kept to himself mostly, which is why Fett kept him around, but sometimes he had a habit of bugging him when it came to an injury. For instance…

“I would like to look at your leg again sir.” Eljay stated as the dock descended. “I’ll pass Eljay.” Fett said, walking down the ramp. “But sir, it could be getting infected! Or not healing properly! It would only take a minute for me to…” He didn’t bother standing around to hear his protests. The droid’s voice faded out as he strolled down the docking bay.

Two hanger security guards in black armor stood waiting for him as he stepped onto the stone floor. He flashed his permit and walked past them wordlessly. The one on Fett’s left, the Twi’Lek, said something smart to his companion behind him. They chuckled. The laughter abruptly ended when the Twi’Lek noticed the blaster pistol at his forehead. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Mr. Fett! I meant no disrespect, none at all!” He begged in his own tongue. He was almost in tears. His companion, a Quarren, was too terrified to move. 

“Next time, hold your tongue or you won’t have one. Now stop your blubbering.” Fett stated, holstering the pistol. He turned on his heel and left them standing in the center of the hanger. Nothing was out of the ordinary. All the usual ships were here. Heril’s Feridian Quad Jumper, Quairoak’s Mohllorian SR-43, a few T-16 Skyhoppers, Bossk’s Hound’s Tooth. However, one did catch his eye.

It was an imperial officer’s cruiser. Interesting.

Perhaps that was why Jabba called him back so suddenly. There was only one way to find out. Fett tapped the control panel on the wall to the right and stepped in. He navigated the hallways he had come to learn like the back of his hand all the way to Jabba’s throne room, passing a few unsteady patrons as he did.

The throne room is what you would expect. It was dark, loud, and sinful. There were beautiful Twi’Lek dancers, barely dressed, entertaining the Hutt at the front of the room. There was a group of various different species all huddled up in the corner. They were playing an odd game Boba didn’t recognize using reeds, dice, and metal ball. Fett began skirting his way around the perimeter to get to Jabba without drawing too much attention to himself. On the opposite side of the room, a fight had broken out between a human and a Devaronian. The spectators were all edging them on, placing bets on who they thought would win. Boba snapped his head around as a voice said something to him. 

“Drink sir?” The Aqualish bartender asked, holding up a glass. Fett was silent for a moment, deciding whether to entertain his question. “No. You can’t shoot straight when you’re drunk.” The bounty hunter stated as he stalked off. He learned that one the hard way during his rookie years. Never touched a drink since. In his line of work, you were always on guard. You were on guard or you died or at least risked dying. 

Up ahead of him, Jabba was having a grand time. He swallowed something green and slimy off his plate before washing it back with a large swig of a red drink. Curled up in his tail was his son Rotta. The disgusting little Huttling had grown a lot since Fett had first met him. He watched as Rotta fooled around with Jabba’s Kowakian Monkey-Lizard, Salacious B. Crumb. He was chucking pieces of food and various utensils at it. It gave a shriek and climbed up Jabba’s back with a hiss. As Fett was almost to the front, Crumb gave a shrill laugh at besting the Huttling. That was the same time Rotta hit him in the face with a cup. The creature dropped to the ground immediately. The young Hutt laughed and clapped his hands, clearly pleased. Boba managed a smirk under his helmet. He was with the Hutt on this one. He hated that creepy little slimeball. Jabba, noticing the bounty hunter’s presence, dismissed everyone with a wave of his hand. The patrons, some grumpy, all filed out in a not so neat, drunken fashion into the hall. Fett shook his head dismissively. He did not have the patience to deal with drunks. 

Once the room was empty, Jabba uttered a long sentence in Huttese. TC-70, his silver translator droid, waited a second before repeating his statement in Galactic Basic.

“The Great Jabba says there has been an upset in the senate. A senator is dead and a second has been kidnapped. Iruni Joor of Erunan has been assassinated, one of his top paid politicians. The senate is in an uproar.” Fett found this information interesting. 

“What do we know about the killing?” He asked. The more details, the better. Jabba went on a tangent again.

“He says very little. The Empire is paying 800,000 credits to have his top bounty hunter investigate. You are to go to Coruscant with an imperial detective and find out who interferes with in Hutt business. Finding the killer will double the reward. You will get ten percent. The detective is waiting for you in the hanger.” Fett bowed, glad that his helmet hid his sour expression. “As you wish.” As Fett turned to leave, he noticed TC-70 get a message. She whispered something to Jabba, inaudible by most, but not with Fett’s modified helmet. 

“Master, Solo and the Wookiee are here.” She said. “Good. Send them in.” Jabba replied. His helmet could also translate Huttese, but the crime lord didn’t need to know that. 

Fett was grumpy all the way back to the hanger. He worked alone. He did not like working with others, especially some inept, brainless imperial detective that would only slow him down in the long run. He took a breath. It was only one job and he had no choice. If he didn’t take the detective with him, he wouldn’t get paid. 

Fett found himself back in the hanger. He saw the imperial detective standing near the officer’s ship, along with two stormtroopers. He also noticed a Corellian YT-1300f Light Freighter. The Millennium Falcon. He had heard stories of her impressive feats, but up close, it was nothing special. In fact, it looked like a run down hunk of junk. Well, looks can be deceiving. Very deceiving.

The detective noticed him from across the room as Fett headed for Slave I. He waved at him with no response. He gave the stormtroopers a confused look before the three trotted over to him. 

“So you are the bounty hunter accompanying me on this case?” The man said, stopping alongside him. He was a dark skinned man with a shaved head and a good size stature. He was a little taller than Fett. He had strong cheekbones and an angular jaw, both of which were enhanced by a smile. Boba was not in a smiling mood. 

“If you’re coming, get on board. The troopers stay behind or all three of you can. You’ll be enough dead weight as it is.” He snapped, remotely dropping the dock of Slave I. The detective had a shocked look on his face at the bounty hunter’s bluntness. “I really think that-” He cut his statement short as Fett walked off in the middle of his sentence. Behind him, the detective dismissed the troopers quietly and jogged to catch up with Fett. The two of them silently boarded Slave I.


	3. To the Capital

Boba Fett sat down at his cockpit controls. He started rapidly typing in the coordinates for the planet of Coruscant, the capital of the Galactic Empire. Behind him, the detective awkwardly found his way into the cabin. He looked all around at Slave I's various compartments and switches before sitting in a seat in the corner. A metallic clinking came from the hallway. 

"Master Fett, sir, I really must insist that I examine the wound you acquired while on Flitar to check the healing process. There could be complications." Eljay asked, standing in the door frame. "I would mind." he replied flatly, flipping a switch over his head. Slave I's engines hummed to life before the ship lifted off the ground. "Fine then. Let your leg fall off from infection. What do I care?" Eljay grumbled as he made his way back to the med bay. "Finally." Fett muttered under his breath. The detective cleared his throat. He decided to try his hand at a conversation.

"So you're Boba Fett? I've heard of you and know your reputation. You're considered one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy." He stated. Fett ignored him. He wasn't one for small talk or chit chat. He only spoke when he had something to say. No more, no less. The man shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm Silj Jariok, by the way." he introduced. Still no reply. Jariok fell silent as they left Tatooinian orbit. Fett pulled a switch and they made the jump to lightspeed, the stars around them blurring into a tunnel of light.

"I've never been to Flitar before. That's that mountainous planet out in the mid rim right? A couple parsecs away from Trandosha?" he tried again. When he again got no reply, Jariok gave an irritated sigh out his nose and gave up.

They sat in silence for most of the trip. It was only broken once when Jariok went to open a compartment in the wall near the co-pilot's seat.

"Don't touch that." Fett had said without moving his head. Jariok gave him a startled look. "So you can talk..." the detective muttered under his breath. "Now when we get to Coruscant, where are we heading?" he asked, not commenting on the detective's remark. "Land in hanger 144-3A-8LG. We will then sit in on the evidence briefing at the department." Fett nodded in reply. To fill the silence, Jariok took to fiddling with the imperial issued blaster at his hip. Fett pulled a switch above his head. Slave I slowed drastically. The cabin's pressure adjusted and there was a bang as they dropped out of hyperspace.

—-

"Hold it right there!" said a male stormtrooper as Fett and Jariok descended down the ramp into hanger 144-3A-8LG. Boba rolled his neck irritably. The trooper and the landing dock administrator trotted up to them from their post at the end of the hanger.

The hanger was relatively empty, considering they were on Coruscant. Besides his Firespray, the only other two ships were a gold Nubian Vix S4 and a beat up Hiriddian Quad Jumper.

"Do you have clearance to land in this hanger?" The administrator said. She had pale skin and red hair that was pulled up into a bun. She had a green imperial uniform on. The stormtrooper was in standard armor. No rankings, no paint adorning the white like the clone troopers used to have. Completely ordinary.

"Yes." Jariok said as he pulled an ID out of his pocket and handed it to the woman. "I am Silj Jariok, an imperial detective working under Head Detective Poliana Sentura." The stormtrooper turned his visor towards Fett.

"And what about your friend here?" he asked snarkily. Boba's only noticeable response was a quick twitch of his fingers. Jariok stole a glance towards the Mandalorian.

"He is with me. He has been hired by the imperial senate to assist us with the assassination of Joor of Erunan and the kidnapping of Chuchi of Pantora." the detective explained. The administrator looked Fett up and down with a sneer. "Move along then." she said, eager to get the bounty hunter out of her hanger. Jariok dips his head slightly. Fett says nothing. He walked past the trooper and knocked his shoulder into his, forcing the man to take a quick step back to catch himself. The trooper made a move to confront him, but stopped at a word from the administrator. Fett smirked under his helmet. 

"The department isn't far." Jariok said as they entered onto the Coruscanti street. It was jam packed with wealthy citizens. They had on expensive fabrics, ornate hair, and jewelry that could buy Fett a lot of upgrades for Slave I, but he was a bounty hunter, not a thief. Besides, if this job goes well, he won't need some rich woman's trinkets to sell.

The citizens gave Fett very odd looks as they walked along. Some were curious by his dented green armor and jetpack on his back. Some upturned their nose at him, like he was riff raff not worth their time. Others snickered like he was some sort of clown or jester. Here they would bump into him and said something crude. These reactions didn't irritate him though. It was the lack of fear that did. When he was on a world like Nar Shaddaa or visiting the Ring of Kafrene, people took one glance at him and would part like a river for a rock. Some would even turn around and run the opposite way. Just his presence would be enough to instill terror in a room. No one would dare whack into him on the street. 

But here, with their expensive speeders and heavy pockets, they were ignorant to his world, the world that ninety-nine percent of the galaxy lived in. They were ignorant of him and his reputation. He had lost all the respect he had gained throughout his life in a few minutes. The best part of all? The fools had no clue how close they were to a man that could kill thirty of them with a push of a button.

"You will meet Poliana Sentura when we arrive." Jariok babbled over the loud hum of the crowd. Fett stopped suddenly, causing a well dressed man behind him to have to divert his course quickly. He cursed at the "underworld scum" and kept walking.

Oh how Boba would like to wipe that scowl off his face.

He had more pressing issues though. He pulled out the blaster pistol and scanned the alleyway he was stalled next to. Silj was ahead of him, still talking. It took him a moment to realize he was alone."Hey, wait!" the detective yelled as Fett stalked into the alley. 

It was dim. Trash cans lined the sides, along with a few bulging, disgusting smelling bags. Up ahead, there was a T. The left and right both dead ended into a wall. Boba slunk like a predator in the forest, his footsteps barely audible against the steel flooring. He felt a flare of strong irritation as Jariok practically screamed down the passage. 

"What are you doing?" his voice said, echoing off the metal walls. The detective was hanging back at the entrance. Fett pounced into the intersection, pistols up. There was nothing. Jariok sighed.

"Good job. You've discovered an empty alleyway. Now can we go before we're late?" Fett whirled around on him. "Would you shut your mouth for five seconds?" he snapped. Jariok gave him a defiant look, but listened. The bounty hunter took another slow scan of the area before straightening up.

"Let's go."


	4. Case 2184

"Why did you head down there anyway?" Jariok asked as they rounded a corner. Fett was eyed by a few Stormtroopers standing outside an imperial bank, but they didn't bother him. "Uhh, hello?" Jariok said. Fett just dodged around an Ithorian. "You know what, fine." Jariok said, irritation lining his voice. They walked another few blocks before a large, square building came into view. 

"We're here." Silj said, pointing towards the department's entrance guarded by two troopers. When they were close enough, Jariok flashed them his badge. The detective and bounty hunter passed through without issue.

When they stepped in, they saw the lobby type area. There were benches and chairs, with the occasional potted plant in between them. The walls were navy and on the wall to Fett's right, the insignia of the Galactic Empire was plastered. It almost touched both the ceiling and the white tiled floor. At the back of the room was a thick glass window. Behind it sat the secretary, a very bored looking woman with dark hair tied up into a bun. She looked up as they hit the center of the room. She flashed the detective a smile and unlocked the door that led to the rest of the department.

This end was more familiar to Fett. He had dropped off a few bounties in imperial jails before. Here was the holding area. There were two troopers taking an angry Rodian and a sobbing male human away in cuffs. An Aqualish was sleeping awkwardly on a bench, her wrist cuffed to the seat. Her head was lulled to the side, forcing her neck into an awkward angle. Jariok pointed to his left as they entered a large conference room.

There were about twenty detectives sitting in chairs in the center. There was a hologram projector, a big one at that, at the front of the room, although it was currently deactivated. A podium stood beside it. Behind the projector was a woman with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail that fell to her belt. She was speaking with a small, mousey kid with upturned eyes and dark hair. He had to be an intern. She dismissed him as Jariok and Fett walked up to greet her.

"Jariok, welcome back." she said warmly. "I see you have returned with our... help." she gave Fett a disdainful look. Boba crossed his arms in response.

"This is Boba Fett. He works for Jabba the Hutt. He is his top bounty hunter." Sentura looked Fett up and down. She was a tall woman. She had a lean, pale face and long arms. Her ears stuck out slightly. She also had a gap in her teeth. Despite those traits, she was still decently attractive. Her face was twisted into a sour expression.

"Hutt Clan? Figures." she spat, her voice lined with malice. Fett snickered, inciting a surprised look from Jariok.

"At least I can do my job without having to call in backup." he chided. Sentura looked like she got slapped in the face. Her cheeks turned red and her shoulders raised in irritation. "Listen up, bounty hunter. I'm gonna say this once. This is our investigation, not your's. You were called in to assist us, therefore you follow my directions, got it?" she barked. Fett tilted his head at her and shrugged his shoulders. "I listen to whoever's paying me, and since that's not you, I will do as I please." he replied calmly. Sentura looked like she was about to punch him. Fett half hoped she did so that he could put her back in her place. He took orders from himself, no one else. That is how you get yourself killed, by listening to idiots who don't know what they're talking about. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. "Why you obnoxious piece of outer rim scum! You will not-" Sentura cut off as the were approached by the intern again.

"Head Detective, with respect, we need to start the briefing." he said meekly. "Thank you Kel." she gave Fett a venomous look. "This isn't over slina." she snapped. She stepped behind the wooden podium next to the hologram.

"Very well. We will now begin the briefing of case 2187." Sentura started. Fett pressed a button on his wrist. His helmet recorded everything she was about to say in video form, along with a written transcript.

"Yesterday, at 0700, the Imperial Senate was in a meeting regarding the Trade Federation's recent obstructions against the Ligrina Treaty of 207 BBY." she explained. Sentura pressed a button and a diagram of the imperial senate chamber appeared. "About forty minutes after the vote to re-draft the treaty, a single shot was fired from the southwest ventilation shaft." A vent glowed red at the top of the diagram. "Every ventilation shaft in the senate building were secured years ago during the Clone Wars, after the assassination attempt on Senator Padme Amidala on Alderaan. Whoever is behind this knew how to infiltrate the senate tower and shut off the security system without detection." This bit of information incited some muttering about the crowd.

"After Joor was shot once, there was panic and Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora disappeared. Footage recovered from the west hall shows her being forced into a transport." the diagram disappeared, showing a woman in a long dress being held at gunpoint by some masked criminals. The footage followed them to a landing pad around the corner. There were dead guards and an imperial shuttle docked there. Chuchi was forced up a ramp into the shuttle before it took off. That ended the hologram. "She has not been seen or heard from since." Sentura continued. "A transmission from an unknown source has been received, but as of right now, they have no demands. After examining the body of Joor, the coroner was not able to identify the kind of blaster used in the killing, but it has very similar residue and markings to that of a Laser Crossbow, also known as a Bowcaster, a weapon used primarily on Kashyyyk by the Wookiee race." Now this tidbit even made Fett raise an eyebrow.

"There have been uprisings on the planet and it is theorized that the intended target was not Joor, but the man who sat behind him, Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, who is the Imperial Governor of Kashyyyk. However, it is clear that Wookiees were not involved with the kidnapping of Chuchi, so this leads us to believe one of four things; One, there were two separate attacks, which is highly unlikely. The second is that someone framed the Wookiees, which is again, unlikely. The third is that this is an independent insurgency with a Wookiee as a member. The fourth and most plausible, is that the Wookiees have allied themselves with another insurgency." Sentura explained. Multiple detectives raised their hands at once. Something about this struck Fett as odd. Something didn't add up. Poliana pointed towards a dark skinned, female detective in the back.

"How could a Wookiee have fit in the shaft? It would be a very tight fit for such a large species." she asked as Fett started making his way towards the door in the south side of the room. According to a scan he done of the room prior, that's where the body of Joor of Erunan was. Jariok was too enraptured in the Head Detective's assembly to notice him slip away.

'We are thinking maybe a female or possibly a Fenreal Grin, which is the smallest of the Wookiee subspecies." Sentura responded. "But what if-" Fett didn't hear the rest of the question. He filed himself into the examination room. It was dark with the exception of a spotlight on the autopsy table. There was the shape of a body under a white sheet on top of it. Fett walked over to it.

"Hey, you can't be in here!" a voice came from the doorway. Jariok was there, looking very concerned. "Does it look like I care?" Fett responded, flicking the sheet back. There laid Joor's lifeless body. Only his head and torso were visible. The body was a gray color, naturally shiny in life, now a dull sheen in death. His arms were muscled and his hands had three fingers and a thumb on each. They were long and thick, with webbing in between the bones and round, pointed nails on the tip like a claw. There were gills on his neck that were open without the tendons to keep them closed. His face was slack jawed. He had a large head with two fins down the back of his skull. There were two small ears and a tiny nose on the center of his face. His eyes were large and almond shaped. They were completely dark, no white sclera to be seen. These things Fett gazed over quickly. What he really wanted to examine was the blast wound on the dead man's chest.

There was a large chunk missing out his chest. The hole was blackened and charred. The blast mark spread out up to the collarbone and almost to his shoulder.

"Number one, your wearing a helmet, so I don't know. Number two, you're now tampering with evidence. You could be arrested for this, you know." Jariok said, waving his hand at him. Fett plucked a device off his belt and lifted it over the body. It scanned the wound quickly. "Are you deaf or just ignoring me?" the detective snapped. "Take a wild guess." Fett said as he pushed past Silj. "You can't just-" He cut off as Fett walked out of the room. Jariok gave an exasperated groan as he followed Boba across the hallway into the evidence room. By the time he entered, Fett already had plugged a wire into a couple of Senator Chuchi's devices.

"Get away from that before you destroy the evidence! What if you delete something important?" "I won't." Fett could tell Jariok was getting fed up with him. That brought a satisfied smirk to his face. Another detective peeked in. Jariok gave him an irritated expression and he ducked his head back out. Fett yanked out the cord with a click. "Did you at least find anything important?" Jariok asked. The bounty hunter walked out without acknowledging him. Silj caught up with him as he entered the lobby. He grabbed Fett's shoulder, forcing his attention. He was furious.

"Look, I am sick of you not listening to me and doing whatever the hell you want. This is an Imperial investigation and you will respect the ways we do things. This isn't some backwater planet where you can do whatever you please. This kind of behavior is exactly why the Imperial Police hate your kind. We have laws and regulations and as long as you are on an Imperial occupied planet, you will follow them." Fett roughly removed Silj's hand from his shoulder.

"That may be true, but you forget. I am a bounty hunter. I am the area outside of the law." Fett explained coolly. He relished the reactions angry people had when he replied calmly. "I do what I have to get my job done and if that bothers you, you shouldn't have allied yourself with me." Jariok threw his hands up.

"We didn't exactly have a choice!" Jariok yelled. He quickly dropped his voice when a few officers looked their way. "It wasn't our decision to hire you. It was the senate's. Therefore, we are stuck with each other, whether we like it or not, so start treating me more like a partner and less like a pet Lothcat you have to drag around." Fett stared at him through his visor before walking out of the station. Jariok followed him out into the street.

"So now what? You're just gonna walk out? Did you not just hear a word I said?" he shouted at the bounty hunter's back. Fett turned around. "No. I got a lead." Jariok looked like he was about to slam his head in a door. "You could at least tell me." Fett started down the street without a word. Jariok sighed. "Never again. I am never working with a bounty hunter again."


	5. Alleys and Enemies

Fett stopped and stared down that alleyway again. He slid a pistol out of the holster on his leg and creeped down the alley again, the walls bathing him in shadow. Every one of his nerves were wired.

"May I ask what your fascination with this alleyway is?" Jariok asked as he followed Boba in. "I mean, it's beautiful and all, but-" Jariok's sentence was cut short as Fett shoved him into a nearby wall. A hooded figure dropped down right where the detective had been standing. The figure swung a staff at Silj. He ducked just in time. The attacker came around and whacked Fett right in the helmet. There was a crunch of metal as his head was flung painfully to the side. The assailant attempted a second swing, but Fett grabbed the staff. The two men struggled over it for a moment. Jariok stepped forward and punched the man in the back of the head. He released the staff and stumbled to the side. He shook his head.

"Who are you?" Jariok asked. The figure, who by his size seemed to be a man, didn't respond. He instead yanked a pistol out of his sleeve, quick as a flash. However, it was too late. A shot from Fett had him dropping to the ground.

"Fett!" Jariok yelled, horrified. "You can't just go around shooting people!" The bounty hunter flicked back the hood. It was a Twi'Lek male with orange skin and plenty of scars. He had a pair of engineer goggles on his forehead. Fett stood up and left the alley, merging with citizens on the street. Jariok was right on his heels.

"You're just gonna leave the body there?" Silj inquired. "You are incredibly annoying, I hope you know that." Fett replied, ducking around an Ithorian. He watched as a group of stormtroopers trotted past him presumably to check out what the commotion in the alleyway was. "You don't even know who he is or why he attacked you." "Says who?" Jariok gave him a surprised look. "You know him then?" "Yep." As the hanger came into view, Jariok waited for Fett to continue speaking. "Who is he then?" the detective asked when he didn't. "Diruni Kyialo." "Who is..." Fett turned into the hanger as a response. Jariok got so frustrated he kicked a nearby trash can. "I give up. You win Fett. I officially give up."

They walked across the hanger in silence to Slave I. Two stormtroopers gave them a look from across the hanger, but said nothing.

"I would ask why we're here, but I've given up on asking completely normal and relevant questions for you to ignore." Jariok spat as they walked up the docking ramp. "It's about time."

When they entered, instead of going straight to the cockpit, Fett made a right to the cargo hold. He sat down in a chair and took off his helmet. He looked at the spot where Diruni had hit him. It was cracked. Fett wouldn't have time to fix it now, but he could patch it. Jariok filed in a moment later, looking both peeved and awkward at the same time. He was looking around at the cargo hold. There were crates and boxes around the interior. There was a holding cell his father had added in when Slave I was in his possession. There were also a few dark stains on the walls and floor that forced a disgusted look onto Silj's face. Fett filled the crack with a clear polyhedrant bonding agent. That should keep it intact until he could properly repair it. The color became darker as the agent hardened. Fett stood up.

"Let's go." he said, examining the helmet to make sure he didn't miss a spot. "I would ask where, but I'd rather not waste my breath." Jariok replied, his voice full of malice. Fett gave him a devilish grin before yanking his helmet back on. "We're heading to the Underworld." Jariok gave him a surprised look that morphed into one of disappointment. "Not exactly the change of scenery I was hoping for."


	6. The Underworld

"I still don't understand why we are down here." Jariok said grumpily from the passenger's seat of their speeder. He had wanted to drive, but Fett didn't really give him much of a choice. He wasn't in the mood to argue, so he let the bounty hunter win. 

They had just begun to descend into the dark, dingy, and smelly Coruscant Underworld. This place put him on edge. He had changed into some street clothes Fett had lying around on his ship to look a little less... imperial. Where he got them, Silj did not ask nor did he want to know. 

It was unnerving knowing that so many of the people down here would literally fight one another at the chance to put a laser in him. Fett was a lot of things, selfish, cold, infuriating, but for his flaws, he was good back up should anyone get testy. The bounty hunter was lowering their speeder onto a dirty, run down platform.

"Because the Coruscant Underworld is the place to go if you want to find out everything that the Empire doesn't want you to know." Jariok gave Fett a look. He had been so caught up in his thoughts, it took Silj a second to remember that he had asked a question. Fett's response ignited a flurry of reactions in his brain.

"The Underworld? It's just the lower levels of Galactic City that are filled with the drunken, thieving, and scandalous." he replied, hopping out of the speeder and onto the metal plated landing bay. "Exactly. It does draw the drunken, thieving, and scandalous, but it draws them from every corner of the galaxy, and with that comes information." Boba responded, making his way into the neglected parts of Coruscant. Jariok swallowed a snide comment. That was the longest sentence Fett had spoken since their investigation had begun and he didn't want to ruin the moment. 

The bounty hunter was a few steps ahead of him, as he usually was. Jariok couldn't help but notice the effect Fett had on the pedestrians. One look at him, with his Mandalorian armor, his blasters, that skull on his shoulder, one glance was all it took to have the civilians parting for him in terror. Jariok underestimated how feared Fett really was outside of the wealthy circles.

"So who are we meeting?" the detective asked, eyeing their surroundings. Mysterious puddles of unknown liquids were pooled along the sides of the streets. The light fixtures were dim, with some flickering from constant use. Unmarked doors greeted them on each side. Up ahead, a bright, neon colored sign of a dancing Twi'Lek moved in time to a faint song coming out of the cantina. A Quarren and a Rodian exited out of an apartment building. They took a look at Fett and went right back inside with horrified expressions.

"I know the owners of a pawn shop down here. They'll be able to help." he explained. "With what exactly? You never did say what your lead was. We're partners, remember?" Fett hesitated so long, Jariok didn't think he would answer. He opened his mouth to say something snarky, but shut it as the Mandalorian began to speak.

"Joor was not killed by a Bowcaster. The residue is very similar, but not the same. He was killed by a Sullustan Tammer Rifle. I've only ever seen one in my life." Silj could tell that was rough for him to open up, even about something so superficial. In the back of his mind, he wondered what had happened to make Fett so closed off. He didn't ask though. He had a feeling Boba wouldn't take kindly to it.

"I've never even heard of it." he replied instead. "They are rare rifles used only by Sullustan Snipers. The rifles are owned by the army, so they don't keep them after they retire, and anyone who makes off with the rifle will be hunted down, making their numbers very low. So low in fact, that the rifle doesn't even show up in the Imperial database." Jariok rubbed his chin, his mind turning over the information. "And the similarity to the Bowcaster burn?" he asked. "The Tammer rifle uses a similar gas cartridge. That cartridge is what gives a bowcaster its power. The Sullustans mimicked it to the best of their ability and that's what resulted in a similar burn." It made sense. "I see. Well, that would explain why they weren't able to identify it and why the burn was so similar. But why are we going to a pawn shop?" Fett turned the corner and pointed to a small shop towards the end of the street.

"Because if anyone knows where to get a Sullustan Tammer Rifle, it's Ruani Frayn and Pahna Qi."


	7. Pawned

Fett and Jariok strolled up to the store front. Outside, he noticed a pretty, teal skinned Twi'Lek talking to a Quarren to the left of the door. At the sound of their footsteps, she turned to them. The Quarren excused himself and scurried off. The woman leaned back against the wall of the shop, propping up one foot. She looked to be a few years younger than himself. She was very skinny, probably too skinny in all honesty. She watched them with golden eyes. She was wearing a long sleeved black shirt with grey underneath. Her pants were brown and covered in smudges. Her dark boots were the same. A small pistol was strapped to her waist and a wrench was in her hand. On her angular face was as smug expression.

"Well, if it isn't the Jedi Killer himself." she said. Her voice was pretty, but tired. Jariok blinked and Fett had a blaster to her forehead. "Call me that again and I will put a hole in you." he replied dangerously. Jariok was horrified, but the Twi'Lek simply rolled her eyes in response. With two slender gloved fingers, she pushed the blaster to the side.

"Same old Boba." she said. Her eyes fell on Jariok. She raised a thin eyebrow. "Who's your friend? He doesn't ooze the usual bounty hunter scum that most of your company does." she stared him down in a way that made Silj shift his weight uncomfortably. "Imperial detective." "Ahh. Makes sense." Deciding their conversation was over, Fett pushed past the woman and entered the shop.

"Yes, you may come into my shop, thank you for asking." she said to no one in particular. She pushed herself off the wall and followed the Mandalorian. Jariok entered a few footsteps behind.

The inside of the pawn shop was like a senate meeting of objects. Tables full of merchandise, artifacts, jewelry, weapons, from all over the galaxy filled the space. The walls were covered in shields and swords and blasters. There was even a full suit of red and black Mandalorian armor in the back left corner. On the back right wall was clothing from more cultures than Jariok knew.

"I'm Ruani Frayn, by the way." the Twi'Lek said to his left. He turned his head to see her fiddling with an out of order display. "Silj Jariok. Why'd you call him the Jedi killer?" he asked. This struck him odd. During the time of the Jedi, Fett had to have been a young kid. Jariok himself had still been painfully young during the Clone Wars, though he didn't think so at the time.

"This is story Boba would rather me not tell you, so obviously I'm going to." Frayn said. The way she said that reminded him of his kid brother. He had shared plenty of stories about Silj over the years, most of which he had rather be kept quiet.

"During the Clone Wars, Boba attempted to kill the Jedi that murdered his father, Jango. His name was Mace Windu. Being a clone, he was able to infiltrate-" Jariok cut her off immediately. "Wait, Fett's a clone? He can't be, he doesn't look like one. I've met many clones who are still working within the Empire. I mean, he kind of looks like them, but he's not identical like the others." he commented. He gave Fett a look. He was across the room leaning against the counter, talking with someone in the back room.

"He's not identical, because that's what Jango asked for. He already had millions Clones. He didn't need one more. What he wanted was a son. So the Kaminoans tweaked the DNA slightly, but left him mostly unaltered. However, Boba was identical as a child. So he used that to his advantage. On his second attempt he not only severely wounded Windu, he almost killed second Jedi, Anakin Skywalker. However, they were rescued before their wounds became fatal." she explained, motioning to follow him up front with a twitch of her fingers. "After a skirmish on Florrum, Boba was arrested and jailed for his crimes, but the story of the child that came closer to killing, not one, but two Jedi, than most trained assassins began to circulate." she gave a smirk. "Well, except for a Sith or a legion of droids. So that's how he got the name, although he hates it, which is why I call him it, of course. It's a reminder of what he almost accomplished. And now Windu is dead, killed during Order 66, so he never got his revenge." Jariok didn't know any of this. It explained a lot about Fett's personality. So he was always cold and heartless.

"Good riddance." Jariok spat as they stepped behind Fett. "Those corrupted Jedi deserved to be betrayed and killed. They got what they deserved." Boba wheeled around. Before Jariok could even lift an arm, Fett had his hand around the detective's throat. He shoved him up against the wall, knocking merchandise onto the floor. Ruani shook her head behind him. "Bad choice of words." she said.

"You watch your mouth." Boba spoke, low and dangerously. Jariok tried to respond, but couldn't. His heart was pounding in his ears. His breaths were labored. His vision became dark with bright speckles. "Let him down Boba. He's just an ignorant upper level slina." Frayn said. Fett conceded. He released his grip. Silj dropped onto the floor, heaving large, quick breaths. Someone stepped out from the back. Jariok looked up after giving a rough cough. It was a female Kaminoan. She had a long, slim neck and large dark eyes. A golden chain encircled her forehead and a pendant dropped in the center. The female was wearing a deep fuschia dress. She made a grumpy face at the still coughing detective.

"Why does someone always end up getting choked when you enter my shop? Last time it was that Rodian, Smeeko." she said with a dismissive flick of her hand. "Greedo." Frayn corrected. "Whatever."

"Hello Pahna." Fett said, stepping past the partner he just choked. He and Qi struck up a pleasant conversation while Jariok regained his senses.

"What the hell did I say?" he snapped, rubbing his sore trachea. Frayn watched him curiously. "You grew up in the upper levels, so it doesn't surprise me." she said with a shrug of her right shoulder "What does that have to do with anything?" he said, the edge in his voice sapped by his sore throat. He was getting sicker and sicker of this assignment by the minute. Ruani fixed him with golden stare.

"Because that is where all the rich live. And the rich have the power. So the empire focuses its propaganda campaigns up there. They teach you fake history to make the Empire seem like they were the cure all to the corruption of the Republic and the Jedi. But it's not true. You are taught that the Jedi were evil and corrupt and they were to be eradicated. The truth is, the clone army had biochips on their brains. When Order 66 happened, they forgot everything. They had no recollection of the Jedi they had fought with for three long, bloody years, who had saved their lives, and vice versa, hundreds of times. They were strangers whom they had to kill." she said. Jariok flexed his jaw. She was lying. This was nothing but anti-Imperial propaganda, probably stared by the ridiculous Alliance to Restore the Republic. He had never heard any of this in any school, any text, nothing. He let her speak though.

"Afterwards, when their memories came back... it wasn't good. Let's just say the number of clones dropped drastically. Although he considers himself different than the other clones, Boba still has a strong connection to his brothers, so he takes insults against them heavily. He is Mandalorian after all and they believe in honor, and betraying one's friend and fellow warrior while their back is turned is not honorable." she said. Jariok responded with a simple "I didn't know." He didn't want to cause a problem, especially when his mouth already got him strangled once today. Ruani's face was soft as she looked at the bounty hunter. "Boba Fett is a complex creature. Pahna's known Boba since he was a child on Kamino. She's his oldest friend and even she doesn't fully understand how his mind works sometimes." Qi turned to Frayn, interrupting their conversation.

"Ruani, I need the cylinder." she said. Jariok had no idea what she meant by cylinder. Frayn stuck her hand into her pocket and fished around for a moment. "Here." She dropped in Pahna's slim fingered hands. "Good, come in the back."

The four of them filed into the back room. Qi searched around behind a shelf. She mumbled irritably before her hand fell on the switch. She pressed the button with a click. There was a shifting sound from within the wall. A panel popped out and slid to the right, revealing a hidden outcove. Qi stepped over and reached into the outcove. She pulled out a crate, sending a grating sound throughout the room.

"That is a heavily guarded crate." Jariok commented. Qi looked at him quickly before focusing back on the crate. "We keep our most valuable merchandise in here." she replied, typing in a code on the side of the crate. The lid popped up and Qi slid it off. Jariok tried not to be nosy, but his curiosity won out. He peeked in. The crate was full of blasters, relics, items wrapped in fabric, and among other things. The the top sat a brown box with a strange symbol, immediately peaking Silj's interest.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the box. While Pahna searched for, well, whatever she was looking for, Frayn picked up the box and opened it. Jariok's jaw dropped. There were four lightsabers inside. He was lost for words.

"Cool right?" Ruani said. "No, not cool! You could be jailed and killed for this!" he said, stupefied. Frayn waved her hand dismissively. "Ehh whatever. The Empire doesn't care what we do down here." she explained. "This one," she said, tapping the leftmost one, "we found when we visited the Onderonian moon of Dxun." she said. She moved inward. "This one we found on Dantooine. It apparently belonged to some ancient Sith Lord. No one knows how it ended up on Dantooine, along with his mask. The other two we paid a pretty penny for. This one especially." she gave a mischievous smile.

"It's a rare purple lightsaber, used by Mace Windu himself." Jariok noticed Fett recoil at the name. Windu... he vaguely remembered him being some important Jedi. He looked down. A white mask with red markings stared back at him, its black eye holes like that of a skull. Frayn noticed his interest. He picked it up and turned it over.

"That we found with the Dantooinian lightsaber. I wouldn't touch it if I were you." she said. "Why? It's just a mask." he responded, not bothering to look up. Qi made a satisfied sound as she found whatever she was digging for. Frayn rolled her eyes. "Yes, a mask rumored to have the spirit of a three thousand year old Sith Lord trapped inside it." Jariok looked at the mask and put it down gently in the crate where he found it. "Do I want to know why you have a possessed mask in your shop?" He looked over as Qi passed a large gun to Boba.

"Is this what you were looking for?" she asked. Jariok recognized it as a Wookiee crossbow. "Yes." He said as he began to take it apart

"We have these things so no one else gets a hold of it, clearly. What if someone figured out how to release him? It's not like there are any Jedi left to fight him. There is barely any memory of them left... The Empire did their job well." she said, her voice small. Jariok scoffed. "What is that supposed to mean?" he snapped, clearly offended. Pahna Qi piped up this time.

"How do you think the Empire erased the memory of the thousands of Jedi who once protected our galaxy?" Jariok gave her look. "Thousands? There were not thousands of Jedi." He said. Fett was focused on the bowcaster. He popped out a cartridge with a defined click.   
"Imperial propaganda." Frayn taunted. "Would you stop with that?" Jariok countered, feeling cornered. "I highly doubt the Empire would teach us fake history. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Palpatine's not really the Emperor." Ruani snorted through her nose.

"Oh I wish I could tell you that." She said. "The Empire made it illegal to even speak of the Jedi, or else you risk being jailed or killed." She explained, back to being serious. "As for less occupied planets... Well a lot of planets who haven't had a lot of contact with the Jedi have varying beliefs. Some believe they existed at one point but died out thousands of years ago. Others believe they didn't exist at all, merely a myth. But either way, the Jedi are gone, in actuality and in memory." Fett stood up, the bowcaster put back together cleanly.

"I have what I need." he said. "Were you correct?" Fett looked up at the detective. "When am I ever wrong?" Ruani made a hmph sound. "I can think of a few instances." Fett pointed a finger at her. "Do not bring up Solori's Cantina. It was one time, ten years ago." Frayn lifted both of her hands up in submission. Something pricked at Jariok's mind as Qi began to put the bowcaster away. He waited until she and Fett had left the back room to ask.

"How do you know Fett?" he said to Ruani. Her face became distant. Her usual cocky expression was replaced with one of sadness.

"After my family was killed on Ryloth, I left. I came to Coruscant when I was still a kid. I got caught stealing. I was lucky. Someone helped me out before the owner could call the cops. It was Fett, right after he escaped from prison himself. He was the one who introduced Pahna and me. After that, we set up shop here. Pahna's drakeer is still on Kamino, but we are working on bringing him here, where he'll help us with the shop." Jariok have her a confused look. "Drakeer?" he asked, unfamiliar with the term. "It's Kaminoan. It's like a husband or life long mate." she explained. Jariok looked to Fett, who was talking with Pahna over the counter.

"How are you two even friends with Fett? I can barely stand to be in the same room as him and I've known him for like five minutes." Frayn's face became sympathetic. "I know Fett is... a lot, but Boba wasn't always so cold hearted." Silj gave a dry laugh.

"That's one thing you got wrong. To be cold hearted, Fett's missing one important thing: a heart." he retorted. Frayn made a grumpy face. "Pahna knew him as a child. He was happy and he loved his father very much. But after he was killed, Boba became consumed with vengeance and anger. It ate him alive till there was nothing left. Then Fallaa Serent came into the picture and he was as close to being his old self again as he possibly could. But, when she died too... Well, meet Boba Fett." she explained. "That's why he's so heartless?" Frayn face turned thoughtful. She gave Fett a soft look.

"Not heartless. He never puts innocents in danger. Believe it or not, I saw him stop a robbery before. He even killed another bounty hunter after he brutally beat a civilian to death for fun. So not heartless, just... robotic. He has his job, he does it. Simple as that. Sometimes people care about nothing because they once cared too much." Jariok mulled that over as they joined the two at the counter.

"Anything else we can help you with?" Qi asked, dusting an ancient red vase. "Is there anyone around here who is in possession of a Tammer Rifle, or would know who has one?" Fett said, tapping his fingers on the glass. Frayn tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Uumbar Loreek might be able to help you. He is an ex-Sullustan sniper. Here." she said, handing him a holocard. "This is his address." "Thank you. Come on Jariok." he replied, waving his hand for Silj to follow him.

"And Boba, you really should stop by more often." Fett paused briefly, his hand on the doorpost. He looked over his shoulder slightly. "Goodbye Pahna, Ruani." he said before he and Jariok returned to the Underworld.


	8. Detectives and Robbers

"Great, now what?" Jariok said as he pulled his hand away from Uumbar Loreek's apartment door. He had knocked numerous times without an answer. Fett moved around him. He put his gloved fingertips to the electronic lock before pulling a tool from his belt. He wedged the tool under the side and popped the pad out of the wall. He snipped a thin blue wire, turning the light green.

"Now we go inside." Fett said as the door slid open. Jariok shook his head dismissively.

"So now we can add breaking and entering to our list of crimes? Let's see, tampering with evidence, assault, murder..." he listed. Fett held up a hand. "Shut up." Although Jariok hated Fett telling him what to do, memories of the alleyway instantly shot through his mind. So he stopped talking and listened, taking a defensive stance as he did. Fett stepped deeper into the room, his pistol sliding soundlessly out from its holster.

There was no sound to be heard, just the muffled voice of a beggar outside the door. Silj's ears were primed as he took in the room. The only light came from the window on the wall in front of them. The blinds split it into white lines on the floor. The furniture was nothing but dark blobs against an even darker background. Then the detective caught a soft, sliding sound, almost like the room was giving a small exhale.

Fett turned as quick as a whip. He reached into the shadowy corner and yanked a blaster from the darkness. A hand snatched a staff from the wall and swung it at the bounty hunter. Fett bent backwards as it swung over top of him. A figure emerged.

"Get out of my house you scum. Go rob someone else." Uumbar Loreek growled, taking a fighting stance. He was large for a Sullustan. In the strips of light, Jariok caught a wide face that held determined dark eyes. Rounded ears sat above tense shoulders. His mouth was taut with anticipation of the coming fight. Jariok, eager not to repeat the alley, spoke up.

"Listen, we are just hear to-" he cut off as Loreek swung the staff at his face, barely visible in the darkened apartment. It blinked in and out of existence as it passed through the pale stripes. Silj reached out and caught it, the metal stinging his hands. Jariok kicked the Sullustan in the knee and wrenched the weapon away from him. Uumbar leaned against the table as he stumbled away. Jariok opened his mouth to speak, but Loreek's hand found a tray of ash. He tossed it into Silj's face. The detective staggered back, spitting the powder out of his mouth and clawing it out of his eyes. Uumbar kicked him in the stomach, forcing him into a wall. Jariok whacked his forehead against it, but stayed upright.

From behind his lids, the sounds of hand to hand combat ensued. Punches, feet to sides, a crunch of metal, they all touched his drums. Jariok was able to blink the remaining soot from his eyes. He looked up with irritated eyes as Loreek struggled with Fett. The bounty hunter was wrestling with the former assassin. Seeing an opening, Jariok shoulder-charged the Sullustan. Uumbar fell onto the floor. He motioned to stand up, but stopped at the sight of a blaster barrel. Jariok stretched out his shoulder. It was sore, but he didn't think any serious damage was done. He wiped blood away from his eye.

"You put up a good fight Uumbar Loreek." Fett said, his voice holding little to no emotion. His bottom half was covered in light from the window. Jariok couldn't see the Sullustan's face, but he could imagine Loreek wasn't too happy.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Uumbar snapped aggressively. Fett squatted down, his helmet and torso illuminated by thick lines of white light. "My name is Boba Fett and I have a question for you." he replied. Loreek's demeanor immediately changed. His silhouette immediately dropped all hostility. The Sullustan gave a shocked inhale as he slowly stood up.

"I'm Silj Jariok." the detective said as Loreek flipped on a light. "We're here over the assassination of Iruni Joor of Erunan." The Sullustan didn't even react. He was staring at Fett with a horrified expression. It took him a moment to pull his eyes away from Boba.

"What does that have to do with me?" he responded meekly. "Because, Joor was assassinated by a Sullustan Tammer Rifle." Fett said, crossing his arms. Uumbar flinched like he had been hit. Once the words registered, his eyes widened with shock. "Impossible. The Sullustan government keeps those under lock and key. There's no way one got out. There are only two dozen in existence and believe me, they would know if one was taken. You must be mistaken." he said, his voice gaining some strength back. Fett cocked his head to the side, like a predator watching his prey.

"No, I'm not. Joor was killed by a Tammer Rifle and I think you know where that rifle got to." Loreek's expression changed very slightly in a way that was unreadable to Jariok. "And how do you know that?" he replied, his voice giving nothing away. "I don't think you want to know that answer." the bounty hunter purred. Loreek stared him down for a moment more before his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I'll tell you what I know." he said. Jariok couldn't lie, he was impressed. Fett got him to talk just on words alone. "Apparently a Sullustan Assassin defected a few weeks ago. Don't ask me how, but he got a hold of a Tammer Rifle. It has a kill switch that can be manually detonated. The blast could take down a whole ship, so that means he managed to deactivate it someway. Then his ship was hijacked by some pirates near Brulin." "Which band of pirates?" Silj asked.

"Some washed up old pirate named Hondo Ohnaka." Jariok noticed Fett react to that name, similar to how he reacted to Mace Windu's. He found this interesting. "He was some big shot during the Clone Wars, but not too much anymore." "So Ohnaka took it?" Fett said, his shock of emotion dissipated.

"Yes. No one knows where Ohnaka and his gang got too. Rumor has it they were headed to the Tashtor Sector, but it's just gossip." Loreek said, shaking his head. Fett dropped his arms to his side. "Let's go." he said, walking out. Jariok stood there for an awkward moment. "Thanks for your help." he said. He followed Fett out the front door.


	9. Dogfight

"Well that was easier than I expected." Jariok said as they made their way through the rundown apartment building. "That's the power of a reputation." Fett replied. They weaved their way through the hallways and out onto the dark streets of the Underworld. Jariok's brows pulled together.

"I've never heard of Hondo Ohnaka." he said, mulling the name over in his mind. "Unfortunately I have." Fett replied, offering no background. "Are you going to explain? Partners, remember?" Jariok said. To his surprise, Fett was quiet for a breath before he began to speak again.

"I had a few run ins with him in my early bounty hunter days." he said. The crowd pushed the detective backwards, so all he could see was Fett's cloaked shoulder. Jariok smirked. "Now was that so hard?" Boba turned his head. "Don't make me regret informing you." he said, a nearby sign turning his helmet green and pink.

"So anyway, we're headed to the Tashtor Sector then?" Jariok asked, not wanting to push his luck since Fett finally started to ease up. The bounty hunter made a fist at his side before releasing it. Fist and release, fist and release, over and over again.

"Possibly. If Ohnaka was headed to the Tashtor Sector, he was probably headed to Piron. But the Piron system's far from Brulin though... He would need to refuel." "Ok, where would he stop?" Jariok asked as he skirted around a large, intimidating species he didn't recognize. "The best place for a pirate to refuel out there would be Takodana." Fett said, his voice barely audible over the crowd. "Again, never heard of it." Jariok shouted back. It had suddenly gotten much louder.

"Maz Kanata has a castle there. She's efficiently run Takodana for thousands of years. If Hondo's anywhere in the area, she'll know about it." Fett replied loudly. Jariok rubbed his neck as he squeezed past a male Twi'Lek to Fett's side. "Yea, but will this Maz be willing to help us?" he asked. Fett didn't answer. He just kept pushing through the crowd.

\---

They soon found themselves on Slave I leaving Coruscanti orbit. Fett flipped on the auto-pilot and spun his chair around. He pulled his helmet off and started examining something on the side. As Ruani's story about Fett being a clone echoed in his head, Silj found himself examining Boba's face for any similarities to the clones he had met working in the Empire. He knew Ice, Ferral, Bear, Cody, just to name a few. Boba and the clones had the same coloring; tanned skin, dark hair, brown eyes. Boba's face, however, was more narrow. His eyebrows didn't curve as much and were lower, giving his eyes a darker look. His jaw was more pointed. The clones' jaws were square. Boba's nose turned up more than his brothers'. He also had a close cut beard that covered his upper lip, chin, and jaw, which altered his features in its own right. Jariok was just as amazed that Boba could look so different as he was that the clones could look so similar. Fett gave an angry grumble as he poked at a compartment in his helmet irritably, causing Jariok to realize he was staring. Silj was glad Fett didn't notice.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Fett popped something metallic out of the helmet. "The juun breaker's been cracked. Twice. It's throwing the whole system out of whack." he said. He stuck the pointed tool between his teeth as he reached for the polyhedrant bonding agent he used before. "Can you fix it?" Jariok asked. Fett squeezed some of it over the cracks.

"Temporarily." he said, the words muddled. He spit the tool out onto his hand. "But the entire breaker is going to have to be replaced." Fett took a small pair of pliers and removed one half a split wire. "Where can you buy one?" he asked as Boba pulled out the second half. "I can't, I'm gonna have to make one. It's a major pain, cause I modified the one I-" Fett cut off as the ship rocked to the side. The force of it wrenched his helmet from his hands.

"Blast it!" the bounty hunter said, grabbing the seat before he was flung to the floor. Jariok clung to the wall as a second wave sent the ship teetering again. Fett's helmet was rolling around on the floor, but the Mandalorian didn't bother with it.

"Sir, something just hit the starboard side!" Eljay said worriedly as he waddled in from the med bay. Fett flipped the auto-pilot off and took control of the ship once more. "Not something, someone." he said, pulling the ship to the left. It wasn't quick enough though.

"Ahh!" Eljay yelled as he fell backwards. Another blast had knocked the ship. "Who's firing at us?" Jariok shouted. "Don't know, don't care. We can figure that out after we blast them. Can you shoot a laser cannon?" Fett said, pointibg at the gun's controls to his left. "I'm going to wait in the med bay." Eljay voice came the floor. "I had some training in the Academy." Jariok replied as Fett flipped Slave I. "Good enough. Get on the gun." Jariok jumped to another seat and grabbed the handles for the turbolaser. LJ-17 managed to get himself upright. "That man is going to be the death of me." he muttered as he returned to the hallway.

Fett pulled his Firespray to side as a red proton whizzed past silently. The missile went straight before doing a large U. It came back, aiming for Slave I's cockpit.

"Uhh, Fett?" Jariok questioned carefully. "I see it, I see it." he said under his breath. Boba did a one-eighty and pushed the engine to its limits. As he did, they got a quick glimpse of their assailant. It was a long, grey ship with rounded edges. That's all Jariok saw before they flew past, missing sideswiping the other ship by less than a foot.

Fett beelined for a nearby asteroid field, making Jariok very nervous. Sure, Fett was good in a fight, but how were his flying abilities? I guess it's a little too late for that. he thought. Boba did a complicated flip over a large space rock while Jariok aimed the gun backwards. He watched the torpedo detonate, splitting the asteroid into millions of pieces. Debris showered Slave I as Fett positioned them to attack the still unknown assailant.

The enemy ship deployed five more proton torpedoes.

"I have a very not good feeling about this!" Jariok shouted. "Just shoot!" Fett yelled as he maneuvered Slave I in zig zag pattern. Jariok fired the best he could at the missiles. He didn't even come close. Two of the torpedoes got too close to each othet, detonating simultaneously. Three left. Boba headed back towards the asteroid field. "Well I didn't think I'd be in a dogfight when I woke up this morning!" Silj yelled as one of the proton torpedoes exploded against a large asteroid, taking off a large chunk of it.

"Ahh!" Jariok shouted as one of torpedoes made contact with Slave I. Fett growled. A few warning lights came on. There was a metallic rattling from the port side. The fifth torpedo came into view. Silj put his crosshairs on it and fired multiple shots. It exploded.

"Woo!" Jariok said, throwing his fist in the air. Not only were they not going to die, Silj was happy to show Fett that he wasn't as incompentant of the bounty hunter thought. Fett aimed his guns on the assailant's ship. He fired a few rapid shots. He caught the wing. It began smoking just before it made the jump to hyperspace. Fett slowed his ship down.

"Who was that?" Jariok asked, now that the immediate danger was gone. Fett put the auto-pilot back on. He was pissed, even more than usual. His shoulders were tense, his jaw was clenched, his brows were pulled tightly together.

"I don't know. Whoever it was, they are a coward. They ambushed us and the second I came around to face them in ship to ship combat they took off." Fett tapped his fingers on his knee sporadically. He was staring intently at the floor. "Do you have any idea why they attacked us? We're in neutral space and that wasn't an Imperial or Rebel ship, nor did it look like a pirate's ship." Jariok said. Fett looked up. He leaned back and propped a foot up on a panel. "You're right. I didn't get a good look at it, but it looked almost Zygarrian." That struck Jariok as odd. A Zygarrian ship? Here?

"Well whoever they were, they're gone now. Let's get to Takodana before this Ohnaka guy leaves." Jariok said. Fett didn't move. An idea struck the detective.

"Hey wait, you don't think it was one of his lackeys do you? Maybe they attacked us to slow us down so Ohnaka could get away?" he suggested. Fett shook his head no. "Unlikely. Last time I checked, Ohnaka's gang was down to a handful of men and he doesn't have enough friends or money to get someone to distract us for him." he replied irritably. "Then who was it?" Fett dropped his foot to the floor. He grabbed his helmet, which had gotten wedged under the seat in the dogfight. Boba stared into the visor before pulling it on.

"I don't know. What I do know is that I don't want to be them when I find out."


	10. Takodana

Boba flipped a few switches he and Detective Jariok descended through the atmosphere of Takodana. Fett had seen more planets than he could count in his lifetime, but Takodana was a truly beautiful place. There were lush green forests and shimmering lakes. The sky was a pale blue. The trees swayed in the wind below Slave I. An odd, aquatic creature leapt out of the water below, followed by two others. There were forested hills and sunny valleys. All of this you appreciated when you grew up on a planet that was caught in the darkness of an endless storm. Kamino was choppy seas, torrential rain, and clouds so thick that no light passed through them, but hey, it was home.

As Fett maneuvered Slave I over a large hill, Maz Kanata's castle came into view. Even from this far out, the intricate stonework was visible. Its two spires cut high into the clouds. Fett flexed his fingers on the controls. A white light began to blink on the cockpit panel. The bounty hunter looked over his shoulder. Jariok was still in the hold finding a weapon. Good. Fett accepted the transmission.

A miniaturized Jabba the Hutt appeared in front of him.

"Lord Vader has use of your services. Once you complete your business with the senate, you are to return to Tatooine immediately. You will get your pay and leave to assist the Empire." Jabba explained. Fett waited for the translator droid to repeat it in Galactic Basic before replying.

"Did Lord Vader say what he wanted?" Fett asked. "He is having trouble hunting down a defected cargo pilot who is putting a top secret Imperial project in jeopardy. He doesn't have the time at the moment to search for him himself, so you are to deal with it." The droid translated as much. "It will be done." Fett said. The transmission ended.

"Who's Lord Vader?" Boba turned to see Jariok in the doorway. He stood up. "None of your business." Fett said, pushing past him. "Is he a crime lord? Is he somehow connected to this case?" Jariok asked. Fett groaned at the detective's noseyness. "Darth Vader is the Emperor's right hand man." he snapped back. Jariok's eyes widened.

"What? No way. If he's the Emperor's right hand man, how come I've never heard of him? And why is he doing secret business with a crime lord like Jabba the Hutt?" Jariok asked as Fett moved into the cargo hold. He was tiring of the conversation quickly.

"Darth Vader is the Empire's secret. The Rebel Alliance is the Empire's biggest threat and most of the rebels don't even know he exists. Those who do are dead or lucky not to be." Fett explained. He did mostly out of spite. It was about time Jariok saw the Empire for what it really was. "The Emperor has allied himself with Vader's master, another Sith Lord. That's how he took over the government." Jariok seemed to have trouble believing his words. That made Fett smirk beneath his helmet. "That can't be true... I've never..." he stuttered. Fett pulled a box off a shelf and started rifling through it. "I guess you're finally starting to see that the Empire is more corrupt than you think. You can learn a lot outside of Coruscant." He said as he pulled out a blaster clip. He looked up. Unexpectedly, Jariok was angry.

"Look, why are you and your friends constantly degrading the Empire?" he said aggressively. "You have no evidence that any of this is true. These are all rumors. The Galactic Empire provides security and order to the galaxy. It is people like you and the Rebel Alliance that cause all of these problems. If people would just listen and follow the laws, life would be so much easier for everyone." he snapped. Fett replaced the box before answering. He fixed his gaze on the detective.

"Well that is true. If more people just respected authority, things would be easier. But what happens when the Empire is corrupted? What happens when the laws are causing the people pain? The Rebellion didn't appear because the people were happy with how things are running." he countered. Fett didn't care either way. He just liked to push Jariok's buttons.

"But neither were the Separatists during the Clone Wars. How is the Rebellion any different?" Silj challenged. He crossed his arms. Fett could tell he was getting heated, but was smart enough not to get in the Mandalorian's face. "The people are never going to be one hundred percent happy with how the government is run. The Rebellion could be fighting injustice or maybe they're just throwing a fit because the Empire didn't give them what they wanted. Either way, that's no excuse to cause all of this violence, even if it's for a good cause." Jariok said. Boba was bored with conversation. He shrugged.

"I don't know or care. I just look out for me. I don't care about the Empire or the Rebellion. As long as I'm getting paid, I don't care who is in control." Jariok gave a dry chuckle. "Of course you do. The galaxy could be burning around you, but as long as you get your money it'll be fine." He said, shaking his head. Fett headed back towards the cockpit. "I'm glad we're in an accord. The galaxy's done nothing for me, so I'm not gonna do anything for the galaxy. Let's get going before Ohnaka escapes." he said.

They landed outside Maz's Castle a few minutes later, argument forgotten.

"I have to admit. This was not what I was expecting." Jariok said, hand on the top of the loading deck. He lowered his head to peer at the gigantic looming castle before them. "Stay here." Fett said as he passed him. Jariok's jaw dropped.

"What? No! I wanna come with you. Partner's, remember?" he said. Fett sighed as he holstered one of his pistols. He stopped halfway down the ramp and turned to the detective. "Trust me Jariok, this is not your kind of place." Fett replied. Jariok crossed his arms defiantly. "Can't be any worse than the Underworld." he said. He marched down the ramp and past the bounty hunter before Fett even got a word in. Boba hated to admit it, but he was impressed. That was not behavior he would have expected out of him.

"Just remember, detective. We're in my territory now. We play by my rules."

They two skirted around the castle to the front entrance. Fett noticed Jariok look in awe at Maz's many flags from all over the galaxy. No Mandalorian representation though. Boba would have to change that. He eyed a Klatooinian and a Dressellian as they walked past. The two grumpily looked up at him, but quickly averted their gaze when they realized who he was.

The interior of Maz's Castle was very similar to Jabba's Palace. There was drinking, gambling, and food. The main hall was packed with patrons. Species from all over the galaxy were here. Fett blocked most of this out though. His focus was on the large, flat faced Artiodac behind a counter in the center of the room. Fett motioned to him. The male gestured back before walking over to a customer. The bounty hunter and detective waited by the counter.

There was a wooden platform above their heads with hanging copper cookery. The counter ran in a square shape around the cooking area. There were drinks and plates all over the sloppily cleaned bar. Behind him, Jariok was examining a shelf against a stone pillar. He poked at glass object on the top shelf.

"Don't touch that." Fett said without moving his head. "How do you do that?" Jariok asked, curious. Boba turned to Silj. "Stay here and don't touch anything or talk to anyone. I mean it." Jariok rolled his eyes. "I reach for one thing and you get paranoid." he said. Fett pointed a finger at the detective as he walked over to the Artiodac cook.

"Ahhh, Boba. Good to see you again." Strono Tuggs said as he wiped a filthy glass with an equally filthy rag. "Drink?" Fett put a hand on the counter and leaned towards Tuggs.

"Where's Maz, Strono?" he asked bluntly. Tuggs looked mockingly offended. "What, no hello? Good to see you?" he asked. Fett said nothing. Tuggs shook his head. "You Mandalorians are no fun. Always so serious. She's in the back." Fett flipped him a credit in response. He made eye contact with Jariok. He put his index finger to his helmet a flicked it away.

Boba followed the hallway to Maz's sitting room. Inside was simple. The walls and floor were stone, like the rest of the building. A large tapestry depicting a Jirota Tree hung on the left wall. A wooden table with various pieces of artwork from around the galaxy was nestled against the right one. He recognized the origin of a few pieces. A stone statue of an Arteesian Orist looked like it was made by the Togrutas of Kiros. A green vase looked like it was from Ryloth. A plush, ornately designed rug lay in the center of the room. On top of it was a short maroon couch with tan pillows. A small table was about a foot away with potted Nyrambi Fern. A teapot and cups also sat on the table top. There was a gold trimmed, burgundy ottoman as well. On top of said ottoman, with her legs crossed, eyes closed, facing the window on the wall opposite Fett, was Maz Kanata. Fett stood in the doorway.

"I had a feeling you would be stopping by." Maz Kanata said, not moving an inch. She continued to meditate as Fett stepped into the sitting room.

"Hello Maz. I'm looking for Hondo. Is he still here?" the Mandalorian asked. "Come sit." she said as a response. Fett rolled his neck impatiently. This was typical of her. "Maz, I really gotta-" he cut off as Maz rotated around. She pointed at the couch. "Sit."

Fett obeyed.

He took off his helmet and sat down. He put his helmet near his leg as Maz poured him some tea.

"Good. Now why are you always in a rush?" she said, handing him the tea. Fett took a long sip. "You need to relax more. You should take a rest." Fett lowered the ceramic cup, fingers tapping impatiently against it. "I can rest when I'm dead. Now about Hondo-" "Well you're gonna be if you don't relax." Kanata interrupted. Boba sighed. "Maz..." Kanata placed her tea on the table with a small clink. She turned her large, bespeckled eyes on him.

"Yes, Hondo. He was here a moment ago. He was refueling and stopped in for a drink. He should be on the cargo pad now." Fett finished his tea before grabbing his helmet. "Thank you Maz." he said, standing up. He took a few steps towards the door. "May the Force be with you, Boba." she said. Fett stopped to give a dry laugh. He turned to her.

"The Force and it's damn followers are why my father is dead. Trust me, it left me the day he died and hasn't been with me since." he said. Maz's face stayed the same. She just sipped her tea. Fett turned to leave, but stopped once more.

"Oh, one other thing." he said. He took his hand to his left shoulder and detached the cape that was there, the one with the red mythosaur. He looked at it for a moment before tossing it to Maz. She caught it easily.

"For your collection." he said as she inspected it. Fett walked out into the hallway.

\---

"Welcome back. Strono knows where Hondo is." Jariok said as Fett returned to the main vestibule. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?" he asked shortly, hoping he had misheard. Tuggs scratched his cheek. "I heard you're looking for Hondo. What has he gotten himself into now?" Strono asked. "You know what, nevermind, I don't wanna know, I did just see him on the landing pad. Better hurry though." Fett could scream. He turned and sprinted as hard as he could, not bothering to see if Jariok had followed. He dashed around a drunk Ithorian and found the staircase. He sprinted down them as fast as he could. There was a long hallway with wooden doors staggered on each side. This is where Maz kept all of her most precious items. Rumor has it that she even has a lightsaber down here somewhere. Fett didn't care about that though.

"You just had to blab to Strono, didn't you?" Fett snapped as the detective caught up with him. They ran through a door on their right to the exterior grounds of the castle. "Ohnaka probably knows we're here by now and is already off planet." "Who said it was me?" Jariok replied breathily as the landing pad came into view. "Do you really have to ask?" Silj groaned. "Ok, ok. I get it. Keep my mouth shut from now on."


	11. Let's Make a Deal

"Chop chop, now. Tereni said we have a have a crazed Mandalorian after us. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not mess with him. Let's move!" Hondo Ohnaka overdramtically told his small crew of Weequays. Fett and Jariok were holed up on a hill to the left of Ohnaka's ship. Fett recalled the drone he sent to hover over the ship. The small black droid flew back to the hill.

"Let's go." Boba said. He stood up, drawing Ohnaka's attention. His face became panicked. "We are leaving now, my friends! Let's go!" he said, ushering the men onto the ship.

"But what about the rest of these crates boss?" one of his lackeys asked as Ohnaka started heading up the docking ramp. "Leave them! We are going, now!" he said. Hondo froze as a blast mark charred the dock in between his feet. Fett activated his jetpack as Ohnaka made eye contact with him. The pirate backed away from the ship cautiously.

"Ahh the Mandalorian!" one crewmate shouted. He fired a few shots at the airborne Fett, missing widely. The bounty hunter shot once, hitting him squarely in the chest. As Boba aimed for the landing dock, Jariok ran down the hill, firing off blue bolts. He hit two of the Weequays. Fett touched down on the dock. He lifted an arm and shot a crewmember behind him without turning his head. The bounty hunter readjusted his stance as Ohnaka stared at him. He spread his feet a little side. He wrapped his left hand around his opposite wrist, his pistol dangling from his trigger finger.

"Hello Hondo." he said. Fett cocked his head as he examined Ohnaka. The pirate hadn't changed much in the last twenty years. He aged slightly, but that really the only difference. Hondo lifted his hands submissively. Boba already knew what was about to come out of his mouth.

"Hey, hey, can we not work out a deal? I have some beautiful Herarian Swamp Beetles for sale, very good quality I assure you. I'll give you them for half off." Fett raised his blaster, aiming for Ohnaka's chest. With a quick twitch of his wrist, his shot skimmed the side of the pirate's head, leaving a singed mark on his helmet. One of his crew dropped dead behind him.

"Ok, ok! Seventy five percent! I can promise that you'll make quite a profit on them!" Ohnaka tried again. Cowardly slug. There was a thud as a crewmember dropped to the floor behind him. Fett nodded at Jariok, who's blaster was still raised.

"You have got to be kidding me." Ohnaka said. His second mate had a pistol to his head and an arm around his throat. Well, the lackey wasn't a complete idiot.

"We know what you want, bounty hunter. You want Hondo 'ere. We'll give 'em to ya if you let us go." Fett mulled it over for a moment. He could easily take out the remaining six pirates. Then he wouldn't have to worry about them blabbing his location. However, that was a lot of bodies for Maz's men to clean up and his ears were still ringing from last time. She had given him a thorough talking to and he didn't feel like going through that again. "Deal." Ohnaka chuckled.

"You are making a big mistake, my friend."

The second mate shoved Hondo to Fett, who wrapped a hand around his bicep and a pistol in his side. He moved so that the Weequays could load the last of their cargo onto the ship and take off.

"We can't let them leave! They have stolen goods and attempted to kill us!" Jariok said. Him and his imperial brain. "They honored their end of the deal, so we'll honor ours. This is my territory Jariok." Fett reminded him. He shoved Ohnaka away as the ship ascended, blowing them all with warm exhaust.

"I see your luck hasn't changed." the bounty hunter said. Ohnaka gave him a confused face. It took Fett a moment to decipher whether it was genuine or not. It was.

"Do I know you?" Fett decided to break an important rule of his: never take your helmet off in the field. Ohnaka's facial expression turned to one of surprise, fake surprise. "Jango? But you... I, uhh... I thought you were dead. You look good for you age, I must say." Fett rolled his eyes. There were millions of men out there that look exactly like his father, even more so than him. Ohnaka knew exactly who he was. The pirate was just fishing, trying to feel him out. Maybe get in his good graces too.

"No Hondo, it's Boba." the bounty hunter replied dryly. He pulled his helmet back on. Jariok looked from Ohnaka to Fett, back to Ohnaka.

"Ahh! Yes, Boba Fett, now I remember. I was wondering when I would see you again. My, my, it has been sometime. You have grown much since I saw you last. It's been what now, nineteen years?" Fett tugged his helmet back on. "This isn't a reunion Hondo. We're here on business." This intrigued the pirate. He tapped his chin. "Hmm... What kind of business may I ask?" "Imperial Senate business."

"Two senators are involved." Jariok said, stepping forward. "One was assassinated, the other kidnapped. We've traced the murder weapon to you." Hondo did not alarmed by this information. In fact, he had no reaction at all. He shook his head and wagged his finger at the Mandalorian.

"Ohh, I see you've moved up in the game Boba! But uh,what kind of weapon are we talking about here?" Ohnaka asked. Fett was quickly boring of Hondo's stalling. "A Sullustan Tammer Rifle." "Doesn't ring any bells I'm afraid." he replied, tapping his chin. Fett was done. He lifted his blaster.

"I would think a little harder if I were you." Hondo fixed him with a cocky smirk. "Are you going to kill me, little Fett?" he taunted. "After all we've been through together? Besides, kill me and you lose your lead." Boba cocked his head. "No, I'm not going to kill you, Ohnaka," he said. "but I can think of quite a few non lethal places to shoot you." Ohnaka laughed. Not the usual response when someone was threatening you, but that was Hondo Ohnaka. "My dear boy, how far you have come. The last time I saw you, you could barely kill." "And the last time I saw you, you had a little more than eleven men to your bidding." Ohnaka snorted. "A man. The boy has become a man. And a funny one at that." Hondo seemed at ease, but Fett could see the tension in his shoulders. He figured the old pirate had been at the deadly end of a blaster enough times to have a good amount of practice.

"I'm still waiting, Hondo." Fett said. To his left, Jariok watched the exchange with crossed arms and a tight brow. "Ok, ok. I'll tell you, but for a price." Ohnaka said nonchalantly. He was not going to give up the information painlessly. Fett was fine with a little pain.

"Which would be..." the detective asked. "A ship." Fett primed his pistol. "Try again." "On second thought, I'm sure Maz will have things for me to do around the castle for some credits." he chuckled nervously. "Tammer Rifle. Now. Before my finger gets twitchy." This was a game Fett knew too well and one Ohnaka had mastered. It was stalling and distraction, turning a two sentence piece of information into a long, drawn out conversation to see who would break first. It was testing and pulling and prodding, a dance of manipulation.

"Alright, alright." Ohnaka said, finally giving in. "I had a Tammer Rifle. My men acquired it, well, when I say acquired I mean borrowed permanently from a Sullustan assassin who I believe stole it from the army." he rambled. "I don't ask questions." Fett highly doubted that. "We hijacked a group of smugglers that he was working with. We later sold it for some pretty credits to a group of Tsurians."

"Tsurians. Interesting." Jariok said, lifting a hand to his chin. Fett would have to find out what made the completely ordinary planet of Tsura so interesting later. "When was this?" he interrogated. "A few weeks ago when we were out in the Outer Rim." "Do you know who they were?" the detective asked. "Their name has slipped my mind... Let's see... Usually a credit or two helps me to think." Fett rolled his neck impatiently. "How about a blaster bolt to the chest?" "You know what? The name just popped into my head." Ohnaka said. Fett was tempted just to shoot him and get the whole thing over with, but then he'd have to dig around for information the Tsurians, taking up more time and effort. So he restrained himself. "They are called the Prujini Band. Their leader is Grohini Eelam. He's the one who bought the rifle." Many scenarios flew through Fett's head at once. He wanted to chase the ideas and find out where they went, but he shut them down. That was for another time.

"Did he say what he needed it for?" Jariok asked. Ohnaka shrugged. "To tie up the loose ends, I would assume. You know me, ask nothing, say nothing." Boba snorted. "That last part hardly seems accurate." "Did they say where they were headed?" Jariok asked, ignoring Fett's comment. Interrogating was definitely more Jariok's thing. He seemed much more comfortable. "Possibly..." Fett had enough of Ohnaka's games. He took a shot, skimming the pirate's left bicepe. Hondo gasped and gripped the wound.

"Next time, I'm aiming a few inches to the left. You're running my patience thin, Ohnaka." Fett snapped. Hondo swallowed. "Ok, ok. I did overhear them saying something about Coruscant." "Good enough." Fett said as he lowered his blaster. He plucked a small pouch of credits off his belt and tossed them to Hondo. The pirate snatched them out of the air easily. "Glad I could be of assistance." he said, giving the bag a little shake. Fett moved beside Jariok as Ohnaka walked off.

"Oh yes, one other thing." Hondo said, turning around. "Just a little snippet that I think you'd be interested in hearing." Fett clenched his jaw. "Spit it out, Hondo. You've wasted enough of my time." he spat. "Well information this valuable could use an extra-" Fett fired a shot at Ohnaka's foot, causing the pirate to jump. "-moment or two to think." Jariok sighed irritably. Hondo was even getting on his nerves.

"Get on with it. How has he survived this long without someone shutting him up permanently?" he asked. "It's a mystery to us all. I blame luck." Ohnaka made a sour face. "I am right here you know." Fett turned to him. "You were saying?" Hondo gave him a sly smile.

"If I were you, I'd watch your back." he said, playing with the silken credit pouch. "Someone's put a bounty on your head, little Fett."


	12. Bounty

"Who would put a price on your head? I mean, a bounty on the galaxy's best bounty hunter?" Jariok asked as the two headed across the landing pad to Slave I. Fett was flexing his hand again, fist, release, fist, release, over and over.

"Explains Kyialo and that attack on our way here." he said a little too calmly. The bounty hunter pressed a button on his wrist. The dock to his Firespray descended. Jariok was uneasy. Being hunted instead of the hunter... that brought a whole other type of pressure. "Do you know who would do this?" the detective asked as they walked up into Slave I. "No, and if I did, this is not Imperial business, therefore I wouldn't share it with you." Just like that, he was back to old Fett, closed off and condescending. Jariok was immediately angry.

"Sorry to infringe upon your top secret business, your excellence, but for your information, they tried to kill me too, so it is my business." he snapped, following Fett into the cargo hold, "And I've almost been killed because of your precious senator. So I'd say we're even." Jariok swallowed a scream. "You are the most irritating, arrogant piece of outer rim scum I have ever met." he spat instead. Fett shrugged and pulled a blaster clip out of a nearby crate.

"Anyway, back to the case, if you don't mind," Jariok sneered. "I know the Prujini Band. We've been tracking them for a while now. However, they were known only for petty smuggling, not assassination plots." Fett stopped, tossing the clip back and forth between his hands. He grabbed it with his right hand and held it there.

"Eelam's smart. He knew exactly how this would go." Fett said, waving the cartridge at Silj. "The police would blame Joor's murder on the Wookiees, and that would be that." "And Chuchi?" Jariok asked, his anger ebbing away to nothing. "I'm still working on that. For now, let's try and find out where Eelam and his crew went."

"I think I can help with that. We've traced their ships back to one of Tsura's moons, Pfiana. We suspect that's where their base is located." the detective said. He got the same feeling as earlier, when he blew up that proton torpedo. He knew something that Fett didn't. He felt useful and superior. Tor the first time, being an imperial detective didn't feel like a hinderance. He couldn't stop the satisfied, confident smile that slid across his face, even if he tried. "We're heading to Pfiana then."

Fett made his way into the pilot's cockpit. Jariok waved at Eljay as he passed the medbay. For an expressionless droid, he seemed pleased. He waved back. Silj felt the ship ascend as he made his way into the cockpit. He saw only the Takodanan sky and a few cloud wisps before them. He sat down on Fett's right. They were silent for a long few moments.

"So you knew Ohnaka from before then?" Jariok asked as the sky faded into the dark, speckled backdrop of space.

"Yea." Fett said, pulling a lever on his left. "He said you were young when he saw you last." he pressed gently. He didn't want to get on Fett's bad side now that they were finally making some progress. "It was during the Clone Wars." After a moment of mental debate, Jariok decided to push his luck. "Did it have to do-" "If I explain," Boba cut him off, "will you stop talking?" Ordinarily, Jariok would be a little offended by that, but it was Fett. It's just how he was. So he agreed. Before Fett could begin the story, metal footsteps drew their attention.

"Sir, I have been trying to contact you. We have an issue." Eljay said as Fett pulled a level above his head. The engine got louder and louder and then... nothing. It went right back to what it was before.

"Damn it." Fett said, slamming a fist down on the console. "That's what I have been trying to tell you sir." Eljay said as Boba pushed himself off the seat. The engine coolant systems were damaged during the ambush. Maybe if you answered your com link-" "I have it under control, Eljay." Fett spat, pushing past the droid. He shook his head. "I don't even know why I'm here. I could have been purchased by a nicecrew of smugglers or maybe even the Rebellion, but no. I got stuck with him." LJ-17 muttered, returning to the medbay. He made Jariok chuckle. As crazy as Fett drove him, at least once this mission was done, they would part ways. Poor Eljay had to live with the guy.

It took a little wandering around to find the engine room. Once he did, it took a bit of looking around to find Fett. There were pipes and panels covering the walls. The only thing Jariok recognized in here was the hyperdrive. He stepped into the room and peered around. There was more wiring. A metallic ping brought his attention to the floor. Below him, Fett had pried up a piece of the flooring to reveal a compartment beneath. The bounty hunter was crouching by a complicated looking piece of engineering. There were tubes and flashing lights and wires. On the edge of the hole was a toolbox covered in red, green, and yellow paint. The interior was filled with various drills and tools. Fett's helmet was on a nearby crate.

"Hand me the Hydrospanner." Fett's voice said, Jariok went to the toolbox. Hydrospanner, hydrospanner... it had been years since he had been around any tools. His father had been ship mechanic and he went to work with him sometimes as a child. He pulled six or seven out before picking up one from the bottom.

I think this is a hydrospanner. Jariok thought, examining a tool with a pronged tip. "Here." Silj said, tossing the tool to Fett. There was the clunk of metal on bone and a dangerous growl. Fett stood up, holding the tool a little too tightly with one hand and examining a lump on his head with the other. He was giving Jariok a death glare. The detective inhaled in terror. He grabbed a welding pick and held it out defensively, knocking a few tools askew in the process.

"I'm armed." he said. "This isn't a hydrospanner." Fett said through gritted teeth. Jariok relaxed slightly when he realized that the bounty hunter wasn't going to throttle him. "Sorry for hitting you. Where is it?" he asked as heart slowed to its regular pace. "You kicked it. It's up against the crate there." Fett said, pointing. Jariok leaned back to grab the long, thin metal tool.

"Ouch!" he said as something hard connected with his ankle. He sat up as the area turned to fire. Fett gave him a devious smile. "That hurt!" he said to the bounty hunter, handing him the hydrospanner. Fett took it and disappeared into the crevice. "That was the point." his descending voice said.

"So you and Ohnaka." Jariok said, rubbing away the pain. A small welt had already begun to form.

"I met him on first mission as a bounty hunter." Fett said. Jariok scooted to edge to watch him work. Crossing his legs, he propped his elbow on his thigh and rested his cheekbone on his fist.

"When you tried to kill Mace Windu." he said without thinking. He knew instantly he made a mistake. He grabbed the welding pick again as Fett popped up. "Hey, don't forget that we're friends now." he said as memories of getting choked in the pawn shop came flooding back.

"How do you know that name?" Fett asked venomously. "Ruani Frayn." "Of course. She can never keep her mouth shut." the Mandalorian said as he returned to the coolant system. Jariok scooched back to his original position.

"She told me the story. You really almost killed two Jedi?" he asked. He had heard stories of the Jedi. They were ruthless and destructive during the Clone War. They treated the clones like machines. They made war decisions despite the possible casualty numbers. They were cold and heartless, especially towards the senate. However, as much as he hated to admit it, there was a little voice in the back of his head that wondered how true they were. Fett and his comrades had gotten in his head. Below him, there was a small plink as a cover was popped off. Fett examined it for a moment.

"Yup. That slina Mace Windu and that idiot Anakin Skywalker. Pass me a pair of pliers." Jariok handed him the tool, green, rubber coated handle first.

"That's impressive. How did Ohnaka fit in?" he asked. "Well one," Fett said, snipping a few wires, "he gained possession of Slave I after my father was killed. Two, he was an old associate of Aurra Sing. She was the ringleader." Fett said. He pulled the wiring out. "I see. What happened then?" Fett picked up some new wiring. He held a tool foriegn to Silj in between his teeth.

"We got caught by Skywalker's inept padawan and another Jedi master." he explained, his words slightly muddled. "Welding pick." he demanded, reaching his hand up. It looked like an axe or a hammer slightly, with a sparking tip on the end.

"I got thrown in jail, which is where I met Ruani. She had run away from Ryloth as a kid and ended up in jail when she got caught stealing. After returning to Ryloth, her husband was killed in a battle between the Rebels and the Empire. I was the one who smuggled her off planet and introduced her and Pahna." Fett refitted a few wires before using the welding pick on it.

"What's Pahna's story?" Fett tugged on the wires. Finding them acceptable, he picked up the hydrospanner and poked at the breaker they connected to. "Pahna is an old friend of mine. I met her when I was a kid on Kamino." "Planet of the cloners?" Jariok asked. It was hard to think of Fett as anything but the quiet, calculating bounty hunter before him. "Yea. After the Empire shut down the cloning operation, Kamino fell into a deep depression. A lot of the subjects began to starve. I was able to smuggle Pahna and her son off world, but her husband stayed behind." Fett took a step back and examined the breaker.

"Why didn't Kamino ask the senate for aid?" Jariok asked as Fett tossed a few tools and some other materials next to him. "They did." Fett hopped up out of the crawl space. "The senate is just a figurehead. Emperor Palpatine is the senate. What he wants, he gets." Jariok stood up as Fett grabbed the floor panel. He slipped his fingers under the opposite edge and lifted it. The metal panel was deceptively heavy.

"But to refuse aid to a whole planet?" he asked as they lowered the grate. It slid into place.

"Let's just say... Kamino knew a little too much. The Emperor wanted to shut them up." Jariok gave him a grumpy face as Fett pulled on his helmet. "I think you think too lowly of the Empire." he turned his head towards him, his face hidden behind the visor. "And I think you think too highly." Jariok crossed his arms defiantly.

The bounty hunter and detective made their way to the cockpit. Fett sat down and immediately attempted to make the jump to lightspeed. Whatever he did to the coolant system worked. The engine revved up before launching them into hyperspace.

"Tsura is on the other side of Pfiana." Jariok explained as a device on his belt beeped.. "Pfiana does have a ring, so watch out coming out of hyperspace." he said, looking over the imperial manifesto that appeared on the device's screen. "Eelam is known for..." he trailed off as his heart plummeted into his stomach.

"No." he said, reading it over again to be sure. There was no way. "What?" Fett asked. Jariok read the message over a third time before responding. "It's... It's Scarif." he said. His hand was shaking. Spots appeared in his vision as his head attempted to process what he was reading. He felt like he got hit by a speeder. "Scarif?" Fett's voice said. It sounded far away. "It's a military base. The Empire had some top secret files stored there. It is impenetrable. It is protected by a planet wide shield gate." his voice was slow, soft, and calm. The complete opposite of what was happening inside his head. He was staring at his hands. "So what happened?" Fett said when the detective didn't explain. "It's been destroyed." Fett put the ship on auto-pilot before swiveling around. He leaned forward.

"What do you mean, 'destroyed'? How can an entire military base covered by a planet wide shield get destroyed?" he asked roughly. 'Some rebels infiltrated the base looking for some kind of plans. The Empire has some kind of weapon that destroyed the entire base." Fett leaned back in his seat. "A planet killer." he muttered. Jariok looked up at him, a question in his gaze.

"When we were on Takodana, I heard someone say that Jedha City was destroyed by a planet killing machine. I didn't believe it. I thought it was just a bombardment that got blown out of proportion." Fett said, propping a foot up on a nearby panel. "Holonet reported it was a mining accident." Jariok shifted uncomfortably, sensation returning to his numb body. "I'd say I didn't believe you, but after this message... This is an official imperial wavelength." The conversation ended there. It couldn't be real. It couldn't. If it was real, that meant....

"You alright?" Fett asked after a long moment of silence. Those two simple words came out awkward and sounded very forced. "My brother was stationed on Scarif. He was a stormtrooper commander." Jariok sad, his voice small. "He was killed by the very thing he fought to protect."

No one said another word as they dropped out of hyperspace. Tsura appeared in front of them, a bluish-white mass of planet. They were silent as they circled around it and they were quiet as they made their way to Pfiana.


	13. Into the Fire

Fett spun his seat around and examined Jariok. He didn't look good. He was bent over, his elbows on his knees. His hands were clasped by his mouth. He was staring at nothing, caught up in the thoughts of his newly dead brother. His forehead was wrinkled with grief. His dark eyes were glassy. Boba tapped on his knee. He was not a fan of this. He didn't like emotion. He wasn't exactly the comforting type.

"Are you up for this?" Jariok looked up him wearily. He blinked, a slow action. He said nothing. Fett sighed. "Cause I need someone with a clear head to cover my back, not dead weight." Silj stood up. "I'm up for it." he said. There was a determined edge to his voice, a calmness that only an all encompassing negative emotion can instill. They were soundless as they exited the ramp. The grey-blue forest of Pfiana stretched out before them. It had a crisp, clean smell to it. The Prujini's camp was a few clicks to the North. Fett pocketed his pistols as they headed off into the brush.

\---

"If we move the Kingwrok Oil to our base in the Freelay Crease, it would be drier there. That would prevent the mold issue affecting the P.H. levels, right?" Grohini Eelam said, crossing his pale blue arms. His advisor looked at him over the holographic map of the area.

"Well, yes, in theory, but the Freelay Crease is cold. I would have to run some calculations to make sure that the oil would be safe at those temperatures." he said, using a long, spindly finger to tap on a device. "How long would that take?" The thick skin on advisor's large forehead pulled together. "Well, I'll have to pull the records from-" he cut off as a knock echoed through the room. One of his men entered the room. Eelam couldn't think of his name off hand. Kylee? Karoni? No, Karoni's the other one. The smuggler huffed.

"What is it now?" he snapped. This was the fourth time they had been interrupted. The lackey stood in the doorframe, his large dark eyes blinking nervously.

"A ship just landed outside our camp, sir." Eelam's mouth widened as he dropped his arms. "Imperial?" he asked, trying to keep his emotions in check. If they saw his panic, then they would panic, and panic was not good for making decisions. The lackey shifted uncomfortably.

"No, sir. It's a firespray. We think it might be a bounty hunter." Eelam relaxed slightly, but bounty hunter could imply deadly killer or an inept fool. Grohini narrowed his eyes at his man.

"Which bounty hunter?"

\---

"Our plan?" Jariok asked. They were scouting out up on a hill, belly down in the shimmering, blue-green grass. The detective shifted as he pulled a white rock out from under his stomach. Fett scanned the Tsurian camp through his helmet. He counted thirty men and a lot of Kingwrok Oil.

"Well, when a linkol is hiding in its hole, you can't stick your hand in and pull it out. You'll get bit." he said. He pressed a button and his helmet exited reconnaissance mode. "So, how do you catch it?" he asked, tugging a disc-like metal device off his belt. "You lure it out." Jariok's eyes grew wide.

"That isn't a grenade right? Cause if it is, you will blow up every inch of this area for at least three clicks." he said. "The Prujini Band smuggles Kingwrok Oil. It is highly explosive and highly dangerous." Fett rolled his eyes from behind his visor. "Try an override beacon."

Fett took the beacon and attached it to the inside of his right wrist. Flipping his arm disc-side up, he aimed for the nearest ship, a Corellian RF cargo freighter. With his left trigger finger, he tapped a button below the beacon. The device shot off through the air. It attached itself to the hull of the cargo ship.

"Happy flying."

He pressed another button on his wrist. He could hear the ship hum to life even from here. It began to hover. The shouts of confused Tsurians resounded over to them. The tone went from baffled to panicked as the ship began to fly sporadically around the landing pad.

"Now some target practice." he said, pushing himself off the dusty ground. He fired off three shots. Three Tsurians fell as an echo. "Don't hit the Kingwrok Oil." Jariok warned. "Was that to me or you?" Fett replied coyly. The Tsurians picked up their blasters and began looking for the source of the blaster fire. Jariok shot four easily. Fett finished the rest off.

"You're not a half bad shot." he said, slightly impressed. "Is that a compliment I hear?" Jariok said. His voice was sarcastic, but there was still a pleased tone to his words. Fett scoffed. "You're still not as good as me." Fett sneered. He jumped off the side of the hill, activating his jetpack as he did. He flew up a good few feet, shooting the Tsurian smugglers as he did. Below, Jariok was taking out his leftovers. Movement caught his eye. Fett didn't even have time to react before he was falling. He braced himself for the impact, his shoulder burning like Sullustan Fire. He hit the stone landing pad, hard. The bounty hunter gave a strained grunt as he rolled onto his back. He couldn't even wiggle his fingers without excruciating pain. What the hell had hit him?

"Boba Fett. I had a feeling we would meet. I have heard great things." a voice said to his right. Fett laid there, still as a ragdoll. In the distance, he heard Jariok still dealing with the lackeys. Shots were going off, quick as a drum. The male pulled out a pistol and put it to Fett's forehead. He squeezed the trigger. Boba dodged quickly, the shot seering the concrete. Whipping out his own pistol, he shot the Tsurian through the hand. He dropped the blaster on the ground with a metallic clink. Fett kept his left pistol raised. He had almost no feeling in his right arm, with the exception of searing pain when he tried to move it.

"And everyone of them is true. Now where is Senator Chuchi?" he asked Grohini Eelam. The smuggler slung the Tammer Rifle off his shoulder without Fett even having to say the word. He put it on the ground and stepped back. This was a game he had played many times before.

It wasn't difficult to tell that the male before him was the leader. His long black hair hung longer than the others, with multi-colored beads braided throughout it. His skin was a pale blue, almost translucent. Fett could see the vessels beneath the skin where the light hit it. He was taller and broader than his lackeys. Grohini's clothes were more extravagant. He had a brown and red tunic with a long, gold chain around his neck. His pants were made of an expensive, shiny material. The boots were real animal hide. On each of his long, thin arms, were bracelets made from a variety of rare metals. Eelam turned his long face to the side, his large, black eyes focusing on Fett.

"Give me nine thousand credits. Then we can start talking business." Eelam said smugly. Jariok came up on Boba's right. The smuggler twitched his eyes to the detective and back to Fett.

"I heard the great Boba Fett works alone? Especially after that whole disaster on Quarzite." Anger stabbed deep into Fett's heart. As Eelam opened his mouth, Fett shot him straight through the foot. Grohini gasped in pain and snapped his jaw shut. "Location of Chuchi. Now." Fett snapped. He was pissed. Eelam clenched his jaw, all levity gone from his face. He knew Fett meant business.

"It's going to take more than words and a shot through the foot to break me, bounty hunter scum." he spat. Fett move up and shot him through the thigh. The smuggler jolted. He put his hand down on a nearby crate before gaining his balance again.

"Is that the best you got?" he said through his teeth. His face was scrunched up in pain. Despite the extreme damage to his shoulder and chest, Fett gave a wicked smile.

"I'm glad you asked."

Fett was in front of Eelam in three strides. He snatched the Tsurian's arm. A small spark ignited at his wrist. It began burning through the cloth of his sleeve. Eelam sucked in a breath as the flame made contact with his papery skin.

"Fett..." Jariok said timidly behind him. He was promptly ignored. "Spit it out Eelam." Grohini inhaled, sending a glob of purple spit onto Fett's visor. The bounty hunter turned up the heat in response. Eelam was clearly in serious pain, but he refused to yell. Fett was impressed with the smuggler.

"Fett, stop! There are other ways to make him talk." Silj asked behind him. There it was again, that soft, imperial upbringing peaking through. The ignorance that separated him from the rest of the galaxy. "Learn to play the field Jariok." Fett said, moving his flame to an unburned section of Eelam's arm. Grohini released a raspy breath in response. "But this isn't right." Fett snapped his head over his shoulder. "How about you stay out of this?" he barked. Fett snuffed out the fire. He jammed his fingers into the charred flesh of Eelam's arm. He smirked at the pained scream that escaped the smuggler's throat.

"I'm waiting." Eelam didn't budge. Fett shrugged, turning on the flame again. It was even hotter than before. He raised it up to Eelam's bicep. He writhed in pain, trying to get away from the bounty hunter. Behind him, Jariok looked horrified.

"You see, you have to move the flame." Fett said, going back down the arm to burn his hand. "If you leave it one spot, you'll burn the nerves and they can't feel anything. That takes away all the fun." Fett said, a sadistic smile on his face. Eelam was close to tears. Fett was seriously impressed by Tsurian's pain tolerance. He'd be more if the bastard hadn't shot him with a Tammer Rifle. If he didn't have his armor on, he'd be a dead man.

"She's on the ship! She's on the ship..." Eelam broke. Fett pulled back the flame. "Good boy. Watch him." Fett gave the smuggler's wrist a squeeze, forcing a scream out of him. Fett releases the male as he heads for a nearby cargo ship. Inside was a small framed woman on the floor, her hands bound and her feet tucked neatly under her. She looked up as Fett appeared. She was very pretty. She had dark blue skin tattooed with various yellow markings. Her pale purple hair was pulled up with gold clasps. She had on a long, red gown that wrinkled from sitting on the floor. Her large golden eyes were wide. Under a small nose, her lips were parted in a forming question.

"Who are you? What's going on?" Riyo Churchi asked. Fett wordlessly helped her to her feet with his good hand. He led her down the ramp. Boba stopped halfway and gave a dry laugh.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Fett said humorlessly. In front of the ship was Greedo, a freelance Rodian bounty hunter, holding a gun to Jariok's head. Rumor has it that Jabba was considering giving him a job. The thought made Fett internally smirk. He wouldn't last a day with the high priority bounties that Jabba deals with. Greedo made a tsk sound with his round mouth, his starry eyes blinking.

"I should be thanking you Fett. I didn't even have to do any of the work. I just followed you right to my prize." he said in his native tongue. Chuchi stiffened angrily next to him.

"I am no one's trophy." she countered irritably. Jariok struggled against the Rodian's grip, but couldn't free himself.

"Who are you now?" he asked. "Shut up human." Greedo said, pressing the blaster deeper into Silj's skull. "Translation?" he asked. He was surprisingly calm, considering this was likely his first hostage situation as the hostage. "Shut up human." he repeated. "His name is Greedo. The slimiest bounty hunter in the Outer Rim." Greedo cocked his green head to the side as Fett pulled Chuchi off the landing dock and onto the platform. "Having a little shoulder problem there Fett?" he asked innocently. "Only need one to put a hole in you. So what, you're heralding your own bounties now?"

"Not quite. He's more of the taking orders type." came a feminine voice. A woman appeared from behind Greedo. Fett swore. Of all the bounty hunters, it had to be Korriba Nani.

"Hello Boba." Just her voice was enough to instill anger his veins. "Korriba." he said, not breaking eye contact. Nani hadn't aged much since he last saw her. Her ebony hair was longer than before. She still had the same deceptively petite figure. Her pale face held the same upturned eyes. She still had that long vibroblade strapped to her back. She was extremely proficient with it. "It's been a long time." she said. "How's my favorite second rate bounty hunter doing?" she said innocently. Fett clenched his good hand into a fist, repeating the action over and over. "Itching to take out the third rate bounty hunter in front of him." he replied. She pouted at him. "Well that's not very nice." she said as he stretched his hand out. It balled up into a fist again. "Enough with the small talk."

"I was about to say the same thing. How about you hand over Chuchi and I'll give you your little friend back and we'll call it even." Greedo said. Fett relaxed his good hand and snagged a blaster pistol out from the holster on his leg. He lifted it, the deadly end aimed at the Rodian. "Over my dead body." Greedo shrugged. "That can be arranged."

One second, Fett was staring at Greedo's ugly face. The next he had an up close and personal view of the concrete. He pushed himself up to his feet. Eelam's ship had combusted, sending a giant column of black, bad smelling smoke into the sky. He and the senator had been thrown several feet. He turned to her. Minus a few scrapes, she seemed to be fine. Boba watched as a piece of flaming debris floated down onto a nearby crate. No not crate. Container. Container of Kingwrok Oil. Without thinking, Fett grabbed Chuchi and yanked her in front of him. The container exploded in a large wave of heat. Fett shielded the Pantoran the best he could. Everyone, including Greedo, Jariok, and Nani, was sent flying. Boba wrapped his arms around Chuchi's waist, adrenaline masking any pain from the Tammer Rifle wound. As they flew midair, Fett rolled onto his back. As they hit the ground, his armor protected them as they slid along the pavement and into a pile of crates. A few toppled over, landing dangerously close to them. Out spilled a few blasters. Fett grabbed an EE-3. He slid one of his pistols out of its holster.

"Make yourself useful." he said, offering the pistol with his injured arm while he laid down cover fire. He was immediately quite fond of the EE-3. It had good aim, a decent range, didn't overheat too quickly. It even had a nice rate of fire. As he shot at Greedo, who was hiding behind a crate full of machine parts, he decided he would keep it for himself. The pistol was still in his hand. He looked at her, gesturing for the senator to take it. She shook her head.

"I don't use weapons." she said dismissively. Fett groaned in protest as another explosion rocked the camp. "Pacifists." he muttered. The return fire had stopped. Fett poked his head up. Nani was nowhere to be seen. Not were Greedo and Jariok. He swore under his breath. He reholstered his pistol and pulled Chuchi to her feet.

"Come on." he said, pulling the senator away from the pad. She was limping. Fett hooked the EE-3 to his waist before slipping his good arm under Chuchi. Two more explosions rocked the pad as they entered the forest. In the back of his mind, Fett wondered what happened to Eelam. Right now, he didn't care.

"We don't have much time. Nani and that idiot Greedo are going to blow up the entire area." he said, malice in his voice "Who are you? Who are they?" she asked breathily. "My name is Boba Fett. I'm a bounty hunter. I was hired to find you and bring you back to the Senate. Apparently I wasn't the only one who got the message." he explained. "My ship is just up ahead."

Slave I came into view. Once he Chuchi on board, he could get Eljay to look at his arm. Then he could worry about finding Jariok. The idiot just had to get himself caught. Another explosion. This time, Boba felt the ground shake under him. They didn't have much time. If the rest of the oil ignited, they-

Fett's brain stopped immediately as a blaster bolt entered his leg. Nani was up in a nearby tree. The dock to Slave I dropped down, revealing Greedo and an unconscious Jariok. Ignoring the pain, Fett shoots at him with his bad arm. He missed by centimeters.

"Get off of my ship." Fett growled, his words airy. Greedo tossed Jariok onto the ground. Fett cried out in pain as Nani sniped him in his wounded shoulder. The shock of it darkened his vision. He collapsed onto the ground, making Chuchi stumble.

"Get up, please." Chuchi pleaded. She trusted him over them. Fett tried to push himself up, but was shoved back down by a foot.

"It's been a pleasure, Boba." Greedo said. He led Chuchi away. She stared back at Fett as they disappeared into the woods beyond, leaving Slave I, an unconscious Jariok, and a critically injured Fett behind. Behind them, the explosions were louder and more violent. The ground was shaking beneath them. Jariok began to stir. He looked around confusedly. His focus fell on the wounded Boba.

"Fett!" Jariok scrambled to his feet. He dashed over to Fett. He pulled the Mandalorian's arm over shi shoulders and rushed him up onto Slave I. Fett was livid.

"I'm gonna kill 'em." he said through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna kill the both of them."


	14. Three Bounty Hunters and a Detective

As the Kingwrok oil erupted into flames, Silj Jariok shoved Fett roughly into the medbay and onto the examination table. Half of it was upright, making it look more like a chair. Eljay stood there with a syringe in his hand.

"So now you want my assistance?" the droid said grumpily, gesturing at them with the pointy end. Fett motioned to stand up. "Sit." Jariok demanded. Boba gave him a death stare, but put his feet back on the table. Silj donned a smug smirk as Fett listened for once. Eljay began to help Fett remove his armor. Once his good arm was free, Fett took off his helmet. His mouth was tight, his eyebrows drawn together, jaw clenched. In short, he was inexorably pissed. He chucked the green and white on the floor heatedly. It bounced a few times before whacking Jariok in the shin. He watched as it rolled to a stop.

"Someone looks unhappy." he said with a smirk. Fett took his EE-3 and shoved it against Jariok's throat.

"Not another word." he growled dangerously. He dropped his good arm, the blaster resting against his leg. He squeezed his hand into a fist. "This is why I work alone." he said, wincing as Eljay tugged his armor away from the wound on his leg. "Now what do we do?" Boba made a pained face before answering. Jariok stumbled to the side as Slave I rocked to the left. Debris hit thecexterior of the ship.

"First, we need to get away from the pad before it blows us to pieces. I need to get my shoulder and leg patched up. Then I am going to find those slinas and put a blaster bolt through their foreheads. Nani's overdue." he said robotically. His voice was lacking its usual bite. Insead he just sounded tired. "I'll get us away from the pad." Jariok said, heading to the door. Fett held up a hand and he stopped. "I got it." He reached out to LJ-17, who had his armor bundled up in his metal arms. Boba took the wrist and pressed a green button. Slave I hummed to life of its own accord. It lifted into the sky.

"You can control your ship remotely? I like you style Fett." Jariok said, genuinely impressed. An explosion, far louder than the rest, echoed off the terrain. It was enough to send the airborne ship teetering in the sky. Jariok supported himself against the wall and Fett held onto the side of the table. Eljay stepped back and forth in an attempt to stay up right, looking like he was performing some strange dance. His metal feet slipped on the floor. As Slave I straightened out, they all stood frozen in their positions to make sure they wouldn't go flying again. Eljay breathed an artificial sigh of relief before gently placing the suit of armor in the corner.

Everyone was quiet as the medical droid examined Fett's shoulder. It was strange to see him like this, no armor, well muscled chest exposed. He looked very, well, human. Not the robotic, task oriented bounty hunter he had unwillingly come to know. One thing that Jariok did notice was how many scars he had over just his arms and chest. They weren't little scars either. There were large, bumpy ones, thin pale ones, fresh purple ones. Some looked like stab wounds, others like blaster marks. Silj remembered Fett saying that his first mission had been during the Clone Wars. That was nineteen years ago. He had to have been a kid at the time. That was a long time to accumulate scars, both visible and invisible.

"You will survive sir." Eljay said, interrupting Jariok's thoughts. "Your shoulder has taken extensive damage, but it will be as good as new after a few bacta treatments. Your leg should be fine by the end of the day." he said as he pulled out a tube of blue bacta gel. Fett tapped his fingers on his good knee. "Thank you Eljay." he said sincerely. Jariok had a feeling if Eljay could smile, he'd be beaming. "You're welcome, Master Fett."

"Tell me about Nani and Greedo." Jariok said. Fett's expression immediately soured. "What about them?" "What's their deal?" Fett hissed as Eljay disinfected his shoulder wound. It wasn't even bloody or gory. It was just charred black from the blaster fire.

"Well Greedo is in the process of resigning with Jabba." he explained, his words tight from pain. "That'll be fun, seeing his slimy face everyday. He won't last long though. Things have changed since the last time he worked with the Hutts. He's used to small jobs and with big ones like these, he's with a group. He'll never survive the high profile bounties Jabba will have him collecting." he finished. Jariok crossed his arms. "And Nani?" Fett's face darkened significantly.

"I haven't seen Nani in many years. The last time was when I was sixteen." Fett's gaze was distant. "Were you guys on a bounty together?" Jariok said, wanting to continue the conversation now that Fett was actually talking. "Something like that." he said. "It was a mistake. After Quartzite, I tried one other time to have a group, a partner. I got burned again." the detective made a suspicious face.

"You're being awfully talkative." he noted. He smirked as Eljay lifted up an empty syringe behind the Mandalorian. "You should know what you're up against." he replied simply. Fett readjusted himself painfully. "There's more though, isn't there?" the detective pressed as the medical droid retrieved some gauze to dress the wound. "What's that supposed to mean?" Fett replied quickly, his eyes narrowing. Maybe it was the head trauma he had sustained or the safety net of the painkillers coursing through Fett's system, but Jariok pushed on without fear.

"I can tell. Your hostility towards her is different than me, or Ruani, or Greedo. It's more focused." Boba pouted like the most deadly child ever. "I was young and stupid. That's all." he said, leaning forward for Eljay to wrap his torso. The droid was concentrated on his work, but Silj had a feeling he was keeping one audio receptor tuned in to their conversation.

"You loved her?" Jariok replied to him gently. He had a feeling that even out of it, Fett could still beat him up pretty severely if he wanted, so he decided to tread lightly. Boba was silent for a moment, lost in his own thoughts.

"Yes." he said as Eljay tied off the gauze. He turned around to gather supplies for Boba's leg. "Biggest mistake I ever made. The schutta almost killed me. It took me weeks to heal." he spat. "This is true." Eljay said, turning his silver face to the side. He returned to his work, his back still to them. Fett's face was sour. "Do you still care for her?" Jariok asked. Fett gave a wicked laugh. "I would love to kill her if that's what you wanted to know."

"What about Fallaa Serent?" Jariok recoiled at the question. The damn words were out of his mouth before his brain had time to stop them. He cursed mentally. He wished he bit his tongue. No taking it back now. Fett listened and contemplated the question for a moment. Since he wasn't dead or on the floor, which would have definitely been the conclusion if Fett was not in drug-induced daze, he was in the clear. Boba just him a confused look.

"How and why?" he asked, no bite in his voice. "How is Ruani. Why, is that she said that Fallaa died." his face became distant. "A couple years ago, yes. But that causes me a lot of pain, so I'd rather not talk about it." he confessed as Eljay treated his leg with bacta. "May I at least know how she died?" Fett leaned his head back in response. He stayed like that for a long time. When it became apparent the Mandalorian wasn't going to reply, Jariok stood up to leave. He was a footstep away from the door when Boba spoke up.

"She was murdered." was all he said. Jariok donned a look of surprise, but Fett just looked tired. All the anger and hostility had seeped away from him. In that moment, Silj felt bad for the bounty hunter. His father was taken from him. His first love tried to kill him. His second love was murdered. He lived alone, trusting no one. Even in his day to day life, he could never rest; He never took off his helmet or armor. He never let his guard down. He was filled with bitterness. That couldn't be an easy way to live.

"Master Fett needs to rest for a while, if you wouldn't mind, detective." Eljay said as he finished with Fett's leg. He pressed a button and the table leveled out so Boba could lie back. He exhaled in pain. Jariok nodded numbly before exiting.

Once he was in the hallway, he made his way to the cockpit. There was a large field of stars in front of them, no planets to be seen. The navi-computer was zeroed in on a set of coordinates and was navigating them there. Silj hoped desperately that they would not be attacked, because if they were, there was no one to fire back except the computer.

The detective sat down at his usual spot to the right of the pilot's seat. He tugged off a device from his belt. He clicked it on. Multiple holo ID numbers appeared in a vertical list. He flicked down until he found the one he was searching for. The numbers shot down, being replaced with the square insignia of Kilar Tech, the makers of his holo comm. It spun slowly, going fuzzy for a moment before coming into focus again. Then it was replaced with a woman's face.

"Silj?" she said. "Hi Millyra." "Is everything ok?" She asked worriedly. "Just wanted to say hi to my beautiful wife is all." he said. She smiled at him. Age hadn't dulled her beauty at all, only matured it. She had pale skin and long dark hair that was currently pulled up into a ponytail. Her hazel eyes had lines in the corners that matched her mouth. She had an upturned nose that Silj loved. She gave him a soft look. "We miss you. Hammon can't wait to hear everything." she replied. Jariok smiled. "I miss you guys too."

"How's the assignment?" she asked. His new good mood was spoiled as quickly as it had come with thoughts of lost senators and an injured, very pissed off bounty hunter. "Just took a bad turn, but we'll turn it around." he replied. Millyra raised an eyebrow. "We're?" "Yea. I'm working with a high profile bounty hunter." he replied. She bit her lip, her telltale sign of anxiety. "I don't like the sound of that. Please be careful Silj." she said, worry coloring her voice. She was constantly worried about him."I always am. Lyra..." he trailed off. She waited for him to finish. He swallowed.

"Grem is dead." Millyra gasped. She brought her hands to her shocked face. "He can't be dead." she said, tears slipping down her face. "Something's happened on Scarif. There was battle... the base was destroyed." His wife fought back tears as light footsteps emitted from the device. Millyra wiped her face and exited the frame. As she did, their ten year old son stepped into it.

"Mom, is everything ok?" he asked, the side of his face visible. "Hey Hammon." Jariok said, heart warmed at the sight of him. He turned his head. "Hi dad! Where are you?" he asked. His son had tanned skin lighter than his own. He had the same nose as Silj, but his eyes were the same hazel as Millyra's. He had his mother's jawline, but Silj's cheekbones. His mouth was pulled up in a gapped smile.

"Somewhere out in the Outer Rim. I'm on a super secret mission." Jariok said. Hammon's eyes widened. "No way! That's so cool! Are you by yourself?" Part of him wished he could say yes. However, for his many, many faults, Fett wad starting to grow on him. "No, I'm with a bounty hunter named Boba Fett."

"I heard some kids talking in my class about him. He's the best bounty hunter in the galaxy! I want to be a bounty hunter like him one day. Catching criminals, traveling all over the galaxy. Wait til I tell them tomorrow that my dad not only got to meet him, but to work with him!" the boy said excitedly. Jariok smirked. "Well let's get through school first and we'll see. I still think you might like working for the Imperial Science Department better." he said. Hammon made a dismissive face.

"That's so boring." he replied. He looked away from the hologram before turning back. I'm gonna check on mom. She looked upset and I think she was crying. I'll talk to you later dad!" Hammon said. "Sounds good. I love you Hammon." "I love you too dad." he said. The transmission cut off. Jariok leaned his head back against the headrest. Eelam was gone. Nani and Greedo had Chuchi. Boba was being pieced back together in the medbay by Eljay.

What a great mission.


	15. Payout

"Master Fett sir, you should not be moving!" Eljay said with as much concern as a digitized, monotoned droid voice could muster. Fett ignored him. As he entered into the cockpit, he found Jariok snoozing in the gunner's seat. His head was leaned back against the wall, jaw open, a slight snore coming out with each breath.

Fett kicked him in the shin.

"Ahh!" Silj yelled, punching out with his hand at the non-existent assailant. He looked around. "Fett?" he asked confusedly, his thoughts still colored with sleep. "No, I'm Jabba the Hutt." the bounty hunter spat as he took his place at the controls. Eljay waddled in behind him. "Sir, I must insist a few days rest after this bounty. Your body needs to heal or else you will not get better!" he said. "I am well aware of my biology, thank you LJ-17." he replied as the ship lurched forward. The droid grumbled as he stalked off.

"You know, Eljay did just save your life. You could try being nicer to him." Jariok said. Fett gave him a death glare. "One more comment and you can float home." he growled. He was not in the mood. Fett navigated his ship as Jariok made a submissive gesture. "Ok, ok. Now where is Nani?" he asked. Fett pulled them to the right, skimming a lone space rock.

"Their ship must have been damaged in the attack, because they landed on Hinu-Joss." Fett said. Jariok gave him a confused face. The bounty hunter huffed out his nose. "It's a moon orbiting Erishanos." Jariok's face didn't change. Fett sighed. "Erishanos is in the Alzoc System." he said. "Oooooh." Jariok replied, recognizing the name. "I noticed something." the detective said. "Pfiana is only a few parsecs away from Pantora. That can't be a coincidence." Fett bit his cheek irritably. How had he not noticed that? He of course kept this to himself.

"Well obviously. Any reason on why?" Fett asked. They were halfway to Hinu-Joss by now. He was pushing Slave I to its limits. Although he had programmed the Firespray to follow the beacon, they had still lost a lot of time while Boba was being patched up. The detective rubbed his chin.

"No. I thought maybe the meeting had something to do with it, but why would smugglers care about the Ligrina Treaty?" he mused. An idea pricked at Fett's mind. "Was that the only thing they were there to discuss?" he asked. "I'm not sure. Let me check." he said. He pulled a device out. Up popped different pieces of evidence from the investigation. He scrolled down to the senate's itinerary. "Chuchi did have a speech, but it doesn't say on what." he said. Fett chewed on this information.

Ahead of them, Erishanos came into view, a blue, green, and brown planet known for its extreme weather: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, you name it. Despite this, there were quite a few settlements on the planet's surface.

Hiding behind the planet was the moon of Hinu-Joss. It was small even by moon standards. Its diameter was that of only seven or eight Imperial Stardestroyers.

For being so small, it was heavily populated. It had a temperate climate, covered in glassy seas and shimmering grasses. It was relatively flat. The temperature was comfortable most of the year. Had long days though. According to the tracking beacon, they were on the opposite side of the moon in a settlement called Fira. It was named for the Selkath weapon. Fira had a high Selkath population due to it being on the coast of the largest lake on Hinu-Joss.

Fett brought Slave I down in a clearing outside of Fira. The beacon was leading them to a landing pad on the south side of the town. Fett, although still injured, took the lead, navigating them through tropical underbrush and through the shade of long necked trees with fan like leaves. Jariok was quiet as they moved, which was a good thing, because Fett in a rip-someone's-head-off mood and he was saving it for Nani and Greedo.

"There." Fett said. He was on his stomach on a hill above the pad. He pointed at a Berinox Nightcruiser. It was no Slave I, but it was still a hell of a ship. It had a sleek red body, a tall fin at the top, two wide wings on each side. Boba winced as Jariok noisily stepped behind him. His jacket got caught on the branch of a bush and shook loudly as he tugged it loose. He settled down next to the bounty hunter, rustling the grass as he did. Fett gave an irritated huff out his nose.

"Why don't you go grab a thermal detonator and set it off? That'll probably be quieter than you." Fett snapped. Silj gave him a grumpy face, but said nothing. Thr Mandalorian used his visor to zoom in on the ship. He flicked it to search for heat signatures. There was only one, a Pantoran.

"Stay here." the bounty hunter commanded, getting to his feet. "I can help." Jariok protested. Fett was on the incline now, making him eye level with detective who was still lying on the ground. "This mission calls for stealth, which you just horribly failed at. It'll be easier for me to slip in and out. Besides, I need you up here to tell me if Nani and Greedo are coming back." Fett didn't wait for him to respond. He picked his way down the slope, which was a mix of short, beach type grasses and moss covered stones.

Fett slunk over to the Nightcruiser, keeping an eye for the other two bounty hunters. He jumped behind the landing gear of a large ship as footsteps echoed to him, but it was only a male Weequay with a female Zabrak. He continued.

He got to Nani's ship and plugged a cable from his wrist into a panel under the docking ramp. He overrode it manually and the door dropped down. Boba slid around and made his way into the ship. He found Riyo Chuchi being held in the cargo hold. She was handcuffed and sitting down on the floor, her legs tucked under her like a bird. She looked up at him serenely. She blinked.

"Boba Fett?" she asked gently. He offered a hand to the senator. She took it daintily and rose to her feet. The Mandalorian picked a tool off his belt and opened the cuffs. "Come on." he said. Boba held up his EE-3 as they headed for the exit.

"Fett, they are coming back!" Jariok's voice hissed. The bounty hunter swore and hurried the senator along. They descended down the ramp. They were on the concrete of the pad when a blue blaster bolt skimmed by their heads. They froze midstep.

"I'll be taking my senator back, thank you." Nani said pleasantly as she and Greedo stepped around a Skyhopper. The Rodian dropped the crate of supplies he was carrying to the ground. He pulled out his deceptively harmless looking pistol.

"Go jump in a Sarlacc pit." Fett replied, pushing Chuchi behind him. Korriba spun her pistols dramatically. She was waiting for him to move. He waited for her. Then they both moved at the same time.

Fett showered Nani with a few blaster bolts as he shoved Chuchi behind a crate. He followed suit as blue and red blaster bolts flew past his head. He looked up as Jariok sniped at them from his place on the hill. Boba turned to Chuchi.

"Stay here and keep your head down." he said. She nodded to him briskly. Fett scooched past her to the opposite side. He slid around the wall of crates and slunk back to where Nani and Greedo were holed up. He tapped the trigger of his EE-3 gently as he darted behind a landspeeder. He peered around the landing gear. All he saw at first was Jariok's shots charring the ground in front of a landing pad control panel, but then he saw Nani's dark hair pop up as she fired back at him. She ducked back down.

Boba slunk around to another line of dented grey crates. He now had a good shot at Korriba. He lifted his blaster and aimed straight for her heart. His finger squeezed the trigger. His red blaster bolt impacted the shoulder of Greedo.

"Blast it." Fett swore. He would have killed the schutta if Greedo hadn't moved in the way. Korriba looked around in a calculated panic. Her eyes met Fett's. She took off running.

Fett stood up and activated his jet pack. Greedo was too much of a coward to do anything and Jariok could cover Chuchi. The Rodian took a few tentative shots at him, but gave up when they missed widely. Boba caught up with Nani, who was about to run into a nearby warehouse. The Mandalorian dropped down in front of her in an aggressive stance. They both sent a blaster bolt at the other. They both moved. Fett lifted his arm again and exhaled. Two more shots. Nani's shot skimmed his helmet on the left side. He could feel the vibration of it. Fett's went straight into her chest.

Korriba gave him a death glare. It was nothing but hatred. It was a mutual feeling. She took a knee, breathing heavily, before collapsing onto the ground. Her chest stilled and she didn't move again. The bounty hunter holstered his blaster. He returned to Nightcruiser.

"Get up." Fett told Greedo, sticking a blaster in his stomach. The Rodian fearfully obeyed. Boba backed up to Chuchi, wrapping a hand around her wrist. "Now go." he said flatly. Greedo scurried away without a word. Fett wasn't worried about him. He wouldn't dare make a move against him now that Nani was dead. He released Riyo's wrist and twitched his fingers for her to follow him. She quietly obliged.

"Senator Chuchi!" Jariok yelled as they approached. Fett put an arm around her waist as he helped her carefully navigate up the uneven slope. "Are you alright?" he asked, offering her a hand. She took it gently.

"Much better now, thank you." she replied with a serene smile. Fett watched her as she stepped up. Everything about the senator was soft. The way she spoke, the fluidity of her movements. She was very regal looking, the opposite of Fett as you could get. Everything about him had been chiseled into a deadly weapon.

"I'm Silj Jariok. I'm an imperial detective." he told her. "It's very nice to meet you." she said. She turned her golden eyes from the detective to the bounty hunter. "You are Boba Fett, correct?" she asked as the docking ramp to Slave I descended. Fett grunted a yes.

"Now," Jariok began as they entered onto the ship. "why were you kidnapped?" he asked. Fett gestured for Chuchi to enter into the medbay. LJ-17 turned around and gave an expressionless look of surprise.

"Oh hello there!" he said to the senator. "Give her a once over Eljay." Fett said dismissively. The droid motioned for her to sit down on the examination table. She did. She perched herself on the edge, her feet barely touching the floor. Boba leaned down and grabbed a bottle of water and some food from the refrigeration unit in the corner.

"Thank you Boba." she said pleasantly as the Mandalorian placed the tray down next to her. He wasn't fond of being called by his first name, but let it slide. It was too personal for his tastes. She tucked a lock of lavender colored hair behind her ear as Eljay began to rub some bacta on the chafed area of her wrists where the cuffs were. Jariok noticed this.

"You were handcuffed?" he asked incredulously. "Why?" Fett snorted. "Because Greedo's an idiot and Nani's Nani." he said without mirth. "Now, why were you taken?" the bounty hunter asked. "Because of the Orto Plutonian mining bill." she replied. Jariok gave her a confused look. She sighed.

"You see, the Empire has been doing some investigating. It's been looking for a new supply of Tiban Jerring. It is an essential oil for the operation of the imperial stardestroyers. They have discovered a number of planets that have it, but the most ideal for them is Orto Plutonia, one of Pantora's moons." she explained. She took a pause to sip her water. Satisfied that her wrists were the extent of her injuries, with the exceptions of a few nicks and bruises, Eljay took to straightening up his station.

"As the representative of Pantora, I also represent the Talz people who live on Orto Plutonia. If the Empire was to take their mining operation there, it would have serious negative consequences." Riyo took a bite of her meal before continuing. "Imperial mining is notoriously rough on their citizens. Look at Atreemos, Peragus, Delphinios, Lothal!" she exclaimed, emotion lining her voice. This was something that was clearly important to her. Fett recalled how the Rebellion had launched a full scale siege to remove the Empire from Lothal. It apparently has been doing a lot better ever since. Chuchi recentered herself as she folded her hands in her lap. "Polls have shown that mining colonies have the lowest satisfaction rate with the Empire. They also have the highest percentage of crime and rebellion defectors." she said. "Senator Organa and I have done a lot of petitioning to Emperor to reevaluate how mining colonies are handled, but we haven't had much luck." Fett found this interesting, but he wanted to know what mining on a moon had to with Joor getting assassinated and her kidnapped. He didn't say as much though.

"With all this in context, I knew that if the Empire mined on Orto Plutonia, it wouldn't go well for the Talz." the Pantoran said. "They are already leery of outsiders and the Empire would not take to them lightly. They would probably rebel and end up enslaved." Jariok gave her a look. "Slavery is illegal." he pointed out. Chuchi fixed him with a stare. "Laws are only good as those who enforce them, detective." Fett smirked. "It's one of those things that everyone knows about, but without credible evidence and no one willing to stop it, there is nothing we in the senate can do. We've pushed for the army to investigate Kessel, but the results keep coming back as inconclusive." she had such a genuine sadness in her voice when she spoke this, it even moved Fett's stone cold heart. Only a little though. He exhaled through his nose.

"How does mining fit in with the Prujini Band?" he asked. She turned her focus to him. "You see, if my movement passed, and the Empire didn't mine on Orto Plutoria, they would move to Pfiana." It clicked. "That would mess with the Prujini Band's smuggling of Kingwrok Oil." he replied. She nodded. "The Empire would either shut down their operation or export it themselves, making it worthless. They tried to convince me to drop the whole thing, but I refused." she told them, pride in her voice.

"Well that explains that half, but what about Joor?" Chuchi looked down at her hands, uncomfortable. "When the Clone Wars broke out, a lot of corruption was unearthed. It affected so many systems, even my own." her voice was small. She looked up. "I thought things were bad then. They are even worse now." Riyo took another sip of her water. She crossed her ankles as she continued. "Blackmail, bribery, cover ups, propaganda. It's all commonplace now and completely horrid." Jariok looked unhappy. He hadn't believed Fett. He hadn't believed Ruani and Pahna. Maybe he would believe a senator.

"The Prujini Band paid him off to vote in favor of Orto Plutonian mining. He also made a deal with Trade Federation to vote against the mining. The Trade Federation paid more, so that was who he went with. Voting is anonymous, so I'm not sure how they discovered he double crossed them, but they did." she explained. "I was to give a speech that session announcing our victory, but then I was taken. They tried everything to get me to have the numbers changed; money, fake rumors, violence..." her voice trailed off. They were quiet as she finished her food. "Come on." Fett said, motioning for them to follow him into the cockpit. "Let's get you back to Coruscant."


	16. Resolution

Fett stood back in the shade of Slave I, watching as senators rushed to greet Riyo Chuchi. Another Pantoran, an elderly male named Baron Papanoida, hugged the senator tightly. Bail Organa of Alderaan also gave her a gentle embrace. The rest of the politicians Fett did not recognize. He scrunched up his nose. Chuchi was nice enough, but he did not trust polticians.

"So, I guess this is where we part ways?" Jariok said to his left. The detective had been silent the whole time. "You guessed right." Silj chuckled. "The army picked up Eelam. He had managed to get on a ship before the pad blew up. They picked him up in a cantina on the Ring of Kafrene." Fett nodded in response. They trailed off their conversation as Chuchi returned to them. She gave them both a warm smile.

"Thank you for rescuing me." she said, with a dip of her chin. Fett nodded back. "Just doing our job senator." Jariok told her with a smile. She stepped back before turning away. She and the others retreated into the senate building. Boba turned to the detective. Silj rubbed a hand on the back of his head.

"You know, you were a serious pain in the beginning, but honestly, you're a pretty good guy Fett." Jariok said with a smirk. "Tell anyone and I'll pay you a professional visit." the bounty hunter replied darkly. They stood there facing each other for a moment before Fett reached his hand out. Jariok took it and gave it a shake. "Take care of yourself Boba." he said. Fett released his hand. "Do yourself a favor Silj and don't quit your day job." Jariok laughed. "I'll leave the bounties to you. I'm happy as a detective." he replied. "See you around." Fett put a finger to the brow of his helmet a flicked it outward in a goodbye. He stepped up into Slave I.

"Master Fett sir!" Eljay called. "Lord Jabba has informed me that he has your payment and you should return to Tatooine right away. There has been an update for your next assignment." "Thanks Eljay." he said. "We're gonna refuel and head straight there." Fett made his way into the cockpit and set his navi-computer to head for Anchorhead on Tatooine. He could have refueled on Coruscant, but he was sick of the planet and wanted to leave as soon as possible. He also could have refueled at Jabba's Palace, but it was cheaper to stop in Anchorhead.

Slave I lifted up and flew off into the sky. The second his ship hit the void of space, it launched itself into lightspeed.


	17. Looking for Droids?

Fett pressed his back up against the column, his EE-3 next to the cheek of his helmet. A red bolt skimmed the stone of the pillar charrrf a machine in front of him, creating a burst of smoke and sparks. He knew something was off since the moment he landed.

Boba had walked down the landing dock and paid the Toydarian to fill up Slave I's tanks as he went to pick up a bite to eat. He noticed with disdain that there was a stronger imperial presence than usual. When he returned, there were eight thugs standing outside his ship, blasters at the ready.

Fett had already taken down two. Now it was three on one as the Mandalorian pulled his head back behind the pillar. These weren't average hitmen. They knew what they were doing.

He just knew it better.

Fett jumped out. He lifted into the air and shot the underlings straight in the chest and the leader in the stomach. He knew which one was the leader because he recognized him. He was Grieorg Lohkee. Lohkee dropped to the ground in pain as Fett landed next to him. The interesting thing about Grieorg? He worked for Marlo the Hutt. Boba squatted down next to him and pushed his blaster end into the man's masked cheek.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Lohkee said, his black mask covering his expression of pain. Fett smirked deviously. There was only one thing he loved in life and that was his reputation. Lohkee was one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. He may have rivaled Fett in skill, but he also knew what Boba was capable of. If even Lohkee quivered under his blaster, the Mandalorian knew he had done something right.

"Jabba will figure it out anyway." he said. He rolled over to spit some blood onto the ground. "It's Zygarria." That's all that needed to be said. Unlike he and Jariok, Fett and Lohkee spoke the same language, with no translation needed.

Jabba had just signed off on a new deal. Fett didn't know what it was, nor did he care. The only part he remembered was the most important. Jabba was concerned that the deal may interfere with the Zygarrian slave trading market, which was under the control of Marlo. His client insisted it would be fine. It clearly wasn't. Marlo, who was known to have a short temper, sent Lohkee to knock Fett off as a warning. Only he forgot where Fett came from, what he's done, who he was. That was a dangerous game.

Lohkee stopped moving. Unlike Nani, Fett actually felt some remorse at killing him. He was a good bounty hunter, never got in his way. He was honorable too. Oh well. Less competition. He stood up. He stepped over the body and returned to his ship.

"Master Fett sir!" Eljay said as he entered. Boba knew what he was going to say even before it came out of his mouth. "No." he said, sitting down at his cockpit controls. Slave I rose up from the hanger to reveal a sea of endless dunes. "Master Fett." he said, his words short. "You sustained serious injuries on Tsura. You could have died!" he exclaimed. "I just want to check on the wounds." "I don't have time." Fett replied. His eye caught something flashing in the distance near what looked to be the remains of a wrecked pod. It disappeared as they flew past.

\---

In the distance, the source of that flashing jumped up and waved his golden, metal arms back and forth.

"Look! A ship! Hello!" C-3PO shouted at the Firespray as it zoomed past in the distance. It didn't even slow. The translator droid's companion, a blue and white astromech, beeped pessimistically in response. Threepio dismissed him irritably.

"It could have worked. They could have seen us, you negatively charged, pile of bolts! It was a better plan than anything you could have come up with." Artoo gave another series of boops and beeps.

"What makes you so- ahh!" Threepio's words were cut off as he slid down a dune of slippery pale sand. He stared up into the cloudless blue sky. Artoo made a sound that was likely his version of a laugh. C-3PO huffed.

"I hate this sand. Help me up so we can get moving again. There has got to be a settlement somewhere around here."

\---

"All I'm saying is-" Eljay continued. Fett raised a hand and he cut off mid sentence. "I'm tired of your complaining. Let me talk to Jabba and then you can check them out alright?" Fett said. "That I can live with." LJ-17 said, happy with the compromise. "Now leave, you're giving me a headache." the Mandalorian said as Jabba's palace came into view. "Should I check you head out too?" he asked specifically to push his master's buttons. Fett turned around and gave him a death glare. "Medbay. Go. Before I turn you into spare parts." Eljay scoffed, but did as he was told. "Oh please, you wouldn't last a day without me."

\---

Jabba was bellowing so loud, the room was shaking.

As assumed, Marlo's attack on Fett did not go over well with him. This could escalate into a Hutt Civil War. Boba waited in the back of the room while Jabba ranted and raved. He pointed at a Twi'Lek in the back and demanded to speak with Marlo. The room darkened and a hologram of the Hutt appeared.

This is where Fett stopped paying attention. It was a bunch of threats in Huttese being thrown back and forth. It there was name calling and fingers being pointed. Boba didn't even want to be here, but Jabba summoned him, so he had no choice.

Eventually he took to cleaning his blaster to pass the time. That, and giving Greedo dirty looks. After the altercation on Hinu-Joss, Greedo took Nani's ship and finished signing with Jabba. So, like, Fett, he sat waiting for his assignment. It was clear that the Rodian was very nervous. He kept shifting his eyes to Boba and back, kept tapping his green fingers on the table top.

Many boring hours later of yelling and tense negotiations, civil war was averted. Jabba and Marlo, although obviously still grumpy, had come to a hazy agreement. After eating a healthy helping a food, Jabba called his two bounty hunters up. He dealt with Greedo first.

"The Lord Jabba says that Millennium Falcon was just seen landing on a pad near the Mos Eisley Cantina. You are to confront Solo and the Wookiee about Jabba's money. Kill them if necessary. You are dismissed." the translator droid said. Greedo nodded his head. He gave Fett a quick look before scuttling out of the throne room.

"Boba." she began after Jabba's long string of Huttese. "the defected cargo pilot has been dealt with. You have a new assignment. There are two droids that escaped the Empire's possession, an R2 unit and a translator droid. They tracked them to a moisture farm on the outskirts of town. You will go with a squadron of stormtroopers to collect them." she said. "Yes sir. Anything else?" he asked. Jabba said a sentence that ended in a laugh. "The Lord Jabba says the Empire wants to make an example of them and you have a flare for examples." he got the meaning. He touched the flamethrower on his wrist. "That will be all."

\---

Knock, knock

The door opened. A man in his fifties stood there. His jaw was stubbled and his face reflected the lines of a hard life on the sands of Tatooine. He gave them a confused look as he leaned up against the doorframe.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Fett cocked his head. "Owen Lars?" the man made a face. "Yea, that's me." Boba smirked. "Have you acquired any droids lately?"


	18. Epilogue

Boba Fett dug his fingers into the burning sand as he pulled himself up, searching for any footholds he could. When he was finally able to lay without sliding, he looked up. There was Jabba's sand sailer. Well, what remained of it anyway. Behind him, where he had just come from, was the Sarlacc he had killed in order to escape. The Sarlacc's stomach acid had eaten away at certain part of his armor, but it was fixable. How long had been in there? The suns were low in the sky, but twilight was still a ways off. A few hours maybe? He blinked as he saw something else. It was his ship. It was Slave I, docked about fifty yards away. A figure in a dark cloak was walking towards him. It had to be a mirage or a hallucination. It had to be. The person walked straight up to Fett before squatting down in front of him, dropping the hood of the cloak. He looked up at the face. There was no way.

"Hello Boba." Fallaa Serent said, looking down on the bounty hunter. Her reddish-gold hair was more crimson than it was the last time he saw her. It had also been cut. It once hung on her back. It now was a little below her jaw. He couldn't help but stare at her face. She had the same pale complexion, same pointed nose, same blue eyes. She had aged slightly, giving her a more mature beauty. She gave him a smirk.

"I am very real Boba, have no fear." she said, answering his unasked question. She looked up, to the side, then back down at him. "So, I'm dead for a couple of years and you go from being the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy to getting whacked with a paddle by a blind man into a Sarlacc Pit." she said flatly. Fett was too dumbstruck by her presence to rebuttal.

"How are you alive?" he asked, pushing himself up to his knees. Serent stood up. "Well, believe it or not, faking one's death is not an easy task. I knew I had to. They were getting too close." she said. Fett stood up. "Where have you been all this time? Why did come back now?" he questioned. She flicked her gloved fingers to follow her away from the pit. "How long were you stuck in there?" "A few hours maybe." he replied. "I had to fix my jetpack." Serent bit on her lip. "You missed a lot my friend." They stopped next to Slave I. Serent looked out into the dunes of Tatooine before looking to him again.

"The Empire has fallen." she said. Those words did not compute with Fett. This whole situation had him rattled and that was not commonplace for him. "What?" Fallaa brushed some sand off her cloak. "Yup. After this little escapade." she said, pointing at Jabba's wrecked cruiser, "the Rebellion got busy. The Emperor and Vader are both dead. The second Death Star has been destroyed." she explained. "We are a Republic once again. The Rebellion is hunting down the remains of the Empire as we speak, which is why I'm here. I no longer have to hide as Fallaa Serent and can now use my real name again." she said. She lifted her wrist and pressed a button. The dock to Slave I descended. She still had control of the ship then.

"Oh and there is someone I want you to meet." she said. She waved at the loading ramp. She made a face before repeating the gesture. A single pair of footsteps echoed out of the ramp. It was a five year old boy. He had dark curly hair and blue eyes. He came to a stop next to Fallaa. She dropped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Boba Fett, meet your son, Ariot Fett." she said. Third bombshell of the last five minutes. Boba took off his helmet and knelt down next to the child. Ariot said nothing, just stared. This was his son. There was something in his gut. He just knew it. He stood up.

"It looks like we have a lot to discuss." the bounty hunter said, eyes still on the boy. "Indeed we do. Come, come." Serent said, motioning him to follow her.

Boba Fett replaced his helmet before following his wife and son up into Slave I.


End file.
